Barbacoa () is a form of cooking meat that originated in the Caribbean with the

Taíno people The Taíno were a historic indigenous people of the Caribbean whose culture has been continued today by Taíno descendant communities and Taíno revivalist communities. At the time of European contact in the late 15th century, they were the pri ...

, who called it by the Arawak word ''barbaca'', from which the term "barbacoa" derives, and ultimately, the word ' barbecue". In contemporary

Mexico Mexico (Spanish: México), officially the United Mexican States, is a country in the southern portion of North America. It is bordered to the north by the United States; to the south and west by the Pacific Ocean; to the southeast by Guatema ...

, it generally refers to meats or whole

sheep Sheep or domestic sheep (''Ovis aries'') are domesticated, ruminant mammals typically kept as livestock. Although the term ''sheep'' can apply to other species in the genus '' Ovis'', in everyday usage it almost always refers to domesticated ...

or whole

goats The goat or domestic goat (''Capra hircus'') is a domesticated species of goat-antelope typically kept as livestock. It was domesticated from the wild goat (''C. aegagrus'') of Southwest Asia and Eastern Europe. The goat is a member of th ...

slow-cooked over an open fire or, more traditionally, in a hole dug in the ground covered with

agave ''Agave'' (; ; ) is a genus of monocots native to the hot and arid regions of the Americas and the Caribbean, although some ''Agave'' species are also native to tropical areas of North America, such as Mexico. The genus is primarily known for ...

(''maguey'') leaves, although the interpretation is loose, and in the present day (and in some cases) may refer to meat steamed until tender. This meat is known for its high fat content and strong flavor, often accompanied with onions and cilantro (coriander leaf).

Adaptations

In the U.S., ''barbacoa'' is often prepared with parts from the heads of cattle, such as the cheeks. In northern Mexico, it is also sometimes made from beef head, but more often it is prepared from

goat meat Goat meat or goat's meat is the meat of the domestic goat ''(Capra aegagrus hircus)''. The common name for goat meat is simply "goat", while that from young goats can be called ''capretto'' (It.), ''cabrito'' (Sp. and Por.) or ''kid''. In South ...

(''

cabrito Cabrito () is the name in both Spanish and Portuguese for roast goat kid in various Iberian and Latin American cuisines. Argentina Cabrito is also a regional specialty of Córdoba Province in Argentina, especially the town of Quilino, which ...

''). In central Mexico, the meat of choice is

lamb Lamb or The Lamb may refer to: * A young sheep * Lamb and mutton, the meat of sheep Arts and media Film, television, and theatre * ''The Lamb'' (1915 film), a silent film starring Douglas Fairbanks Sr. in his screen debut * ''The Lamb'' (1918 ...

, and in the Yucatan, their traditional version, ''

cochinita pibil Cochinita pibil (also puerco pibil or cochinita con achiote) is a traditional Yucatec Mayan slow-roasted pork dish from the Yucatán Peninsula. Preparation of traditional cochinita involves marinating the meat in strongly acidic citrus juice, ...

'' (pit-style pork), is prepared with pork. Barbacoa was later adopted into the cuisine of the southwestern United States by way of

Texas Texas (, ; Spanish: ''Texas'', ''Tejas'') is a state in the South Central region of the United States. At 268,596 square miles (695,662 km2), and with more than 29.1 million residents in 2020, it is the second-largest U.S. state by ...

. The word transformed in time to "barbecue". In the

Philippines The Philippines (; fil, Pilipinas, links=no), officially the Republic of the Philippines ( fil, Republika ng Pilipinas, links=no), * bik, Republika kan Filipinas * ceb, Republika sa Pilipinas * cbk, República de Filipinas * hil, Republ ...

, the

Visayan Visayans ( Visayan: ''mga Bisaya''; ) or Visayan people are a Philippine ethnolinguistic group or metaethnicity native to the Visayas, the southernmost islands of Luzon and a significant portion of Mindanao. When taken as a single ethnic group ...

dish '' balbacua'' (also spelled ''balbakwa'') is named after barbacoa, probably for the similar length of cooking time and tenderness of the meat. It is a completely different dish. Unlike Latin American versions, it is a stew made from beef,

oxtail Oxtail (occasionally spelled ox tail or ox-tail) is the culinary name for the tail of cattle. While the word once meant only the tail of an ox, today it can also refer to the tails of other cattle. An oxtail typically weighs around and is ski ...

, cow feet and skin boiled for several hours until gelatinous and extremely tender.

Etymology

The word ''barbacoa'' is believed to have come from the mainland Taino (eastern Dominican Republic), as in this source:

But when we take the term 'barbacoa', which originates from
Arawak The Arawak are a group of indigenous peoples of northern South America and of the Caribbean. Specifically, the term "Arawak" has been applied at various times to the Lokono of South America and the Taíno, who historically lived in the Great ...
(specifically, the Taíno language), it is known thanks to the writings of Gonzalo Fernández de Oviedo in his ''Natural and General History of the Indians'', who described two of its meanings: ''«unos palos que ponen, a manera de parrilla o trébedes, en hueco», para asar los peces y animales que cazaban. Tal aseveración compite con la tesis de que, al designar un tipo de parrillada, esa palabra es una castellanización de la palabra inglesa-norteamericana barbecue, que a su vez nace de la expresión francesa de la barbe á la queue («de la barba ¾o mentón¾ a la cola», que era como los tramperos canadienses francófonos ensartaban con una barra de hierro las reses que cazaban para asarlas.''

References

{{Cooking Techniques Barbecue Meat dishes Caribbean cuisine Mexican cuisine Texan cuisine

Adaptations

Etymology

See also

References