Barbeque and Blues go hand in hand. It was through one that I
learned about the other, studying barbeque for a week in WV with
Sugar Mike McQuade and also reading all I could about it.
There is a barbeque belt that encircles the globe, divided into 6
great zones. The US, Mexico and the Caribbean are one, South
America is another, from the Mediterranean Basin to the Middle East
is a third, Arab North Africa to South Africa via the continent's
west coast is a fourth, the largest (and fifth) zone starts in
Turkey and runs east through the Caucasus Mountains, Central Asia,
Iraq, Iran, Afghanistan, Pakistan and India, and the last follows
the eastern rim of the Pacific, stretching from Australia and
Indonesia to Korea.
In the 13th Century, the Mongols, led by Genghis Khan, spread their
love of grilled meats as far west as Turkey.
The North American concept of barbeque (intense spicing and slow
smoky grilling) originated in the Caribbean, according to my sources.
As in blues, which was regional in regards to style and sound,
barbeque also developed with regional differences based on peoples'
preferences.
The Grillman
-----Original Message-----
From: harplicks@xxxxxxxxx
To: jross38@xxxxxxxxxxx; harp-l@xxxxxxxxxx
Sent: Sun, 23 Jul 2006 11:13 PM
Subject: Re: [Harp-L] blues history (and the Barbecue)
Hey Jonathan,
I enjoyed your treatment on the historical origins
of blues music. Very illuminating. I believe that
the origins of blues harp as we know it is
indelibly intermixed with the cultures and musical
influences that you described.
However, I must interject another perspective
regarding your ideas on the origins of the
"bar-be-que", or as I like to call it, "barbecue."
You wrote:
--- Jonathan Ross <jross38@xxxxxxxxxxx> wrote:
Another interesting mix of culture in the South
is bar-be-que. Again it shows a mix of both
African and European origins and was (and is)
practiced by both the black and white
populations. Indeed, again similarly to the
early musical forms there is more variety
regionally than racially in terms of bar-be-que.
Although I'll admit that in today's society the
barbecue is a multicultural phenomenon enjoyed by
both blacks and whites, it does NOT show a "mix of
both African and European origins."
It is my understanding that the barbecue, as we
know it, has its origins in Mexico. The word
"barbecue" was derived from the word "barbacoa"
which refers to meats slow-cooked over an open fire
and/or meats wrapped in leaves which are buried and
cooked in a coal pit. The idea of barbecue sauce
came from the mole sauces that are often used with
barbacoa meats (mole sauces actually have their
origins in the Caribbean). The barbacoa in Mexico
pre-dates Columbus, therefore eliminating any ties
to Europe or Africa.
The barbacoa came to the United States by way of
Texas, and in typical gringo fashion, was
transformed into what we know as the "barbecue" and
called an all-American tradition.
(Sorry for the non-harp content.)
Hope to see you all at SPAH!
Harpin' in Colorado,
--Ken M.
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