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The great British BBQ

Words by Molly

06 August 2019 | 

2 mins

Ah, the great British BBQ.

While you might be thinking of those manic family gatherings in the sun, or the huddle of friends hiding from the rain under one umbrella and wondering whether the meat is properly cooked, the origins of the barbecue are a little further afield.

Did you know, the word barbecue is believed to have come from the Caribbean word ‘barbacoa’? It didn’t refer to the style of cooking, but instead the structure in which the food was cooked! Indigenous people of the Caribbean built stick-based structures and produced wonderfully charred and smoky meats. Today we have something similar (a pair of tongs and a charcoal BBQ) which although sounds a lot less exciting, does certainly cook up a sausage or two rather nicely.

Things took off in the States a little sooner than they did here in Britain, where BBQ food has been a national cuisine for hundreds of years. George Washington’s diaries are filled with BBQ references (even a BBQ that lasted 3 days) and Abraham Lincoln’s wedding feast was a presidential-sized BBQ. A law even passed in the 1650s which banned the firing of a gun at a BBQ!

Some might say that the British BBQ has never taken off in the same way, making its way across the pond in the 16th century and considered ‘un-British’. We’re sad to say it, but the rep of the British BBQ still sells ourselves short, pulled out and dusted down from the shed at the first sight of sun, with meat being turned into inedible lumps of char.

Maybe the culture isn’t there as it is in the States, but the enthusiasm most definitely is. The British BBQ has become steadily more popular ever since we relaxed our fuddy-duddy ways and admitted the Americans were onto a good thing. BBQ-style joints are popping up all over the place, while home-BBQ-ers march on in their efforts to make us all proud.

Traditionally the British BBQ has been packed with meat and whole animals. Today, our butchery skills and marinating expertise have stepped up a notch and the diversity of BBQ food is really quite something. Harissa-marinated bavette steaks probably never featured at a 16th century BBQ, though we’re very glad they now do!

With the plant-based movement also in full flow, grilled veggies and plant-based alternatives are becoming an ever-more common sight at a British BBQ. With our ethos to eat better not more, we are quite keen ourselves on a garlic infused courgette, charring nicely alongside our free-range and sustainably sourced meat (of course).

You can’t beat a bit of British spirit, getting out into nature with our friends and family, laughing, eating and drinking until the sun goes down. Although it might not be culturally ingrained, the Great British BBQ is a celebration of food that we hope to continue for many more years to come!

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