Barbecue ribs are known worldwide as a typical dish of the United States, but do you know if it was really the Americans who invented this famous food? Here we tell you all about the origin of BBQ ribs.

The Name of Barbecue

Although today the term barbecue is used as a synonym for grilling, in its origins it referred to the slow cooking method with indirect heat. When people first started talking about barbecue, meat was cooked for hours over an open fire, resulting in very tender pieces with smoky flavors. There are several stories explaining the origin of this concept. It is said that when the Spanish arrived in America, they called barbacoa the way indigenous people slowly cooked meat on a wooden platform. Others say that the word barbecue comes from the French barbe-a-queue (which literally means from beard to tail). This would explain the idea at that time of eating all parts of the animals to avoid wasting anything. Finally, other roots of the word barbacoa can be found in West Africa, where the term babbake refers to roasting, toasting, or making a fire…

The Journey of Barbecue

With the arrival of the Spanish in America, the novel cooking method began to be known throughout the continent. Its first encounter with barbecue occurred in the Caribbean, and from there it gradually spread throughout America. By the 19th century, barbecue was already established from the north to the south of the continent.

Pork vs Beef

Today, we can find both pork and beef barbecue ribs, but in its origins, pork was the preferred choice. And there is a historical explanation for this. Hernando de Soto, one of the first Spanish explorers, brought 13 pigs to Florida in the 16th century. Just a few years later, the herd grew to 700 pigs. Over time, pig farming spread throughout the country. In the South, poorer communities preferred to keep pigs because it was much simpler and cheaper than raising cattle. This made the preparation of barbecue pork ribs very popular.

A Typical Dish of African American Communities

For a long time, ribs were the cheapest part of the animal, which is why poor black families in the southern United States included this dish in their daily diet. In the early 20th century, many people from the African American community living in rural areas began to migrate to northern cities, bringing with them their customs and, of course, their cuisine. Thus, gradually, barbecue pork ribs began to gain popularity throughout the United States. Although the cooking method was the same, each family had its own special recipe for seasoning the ribs. In 1909, the first barbecue sauce was invented, and less than 40 years later, a nationally produced barbecue sauce already existed. And that’s how BBQ ribs were born: from the mix of indigenous customs, European ingredients, and the seasoning of African American communities.

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