Barbacoa
/ˌbɑːrbəˈkoʊə/noun
Meat cooked slowly over a fire or in a pit, especially in a barbecue-style preparation.
Did you know?The word entered Spanish from Taíno in the Caribbean, and its journey into English helped give us the modern idea of barbecuing long before backyard grills existed.
Etymological Timeline
Pre-Columbian Caribbean
Taíno
barbacoa
“A raised wooden framework used for drying, storing, or cooking food over fire or smoke”
16th Century
Spanish
barbacoa
“A wooden rack or grill for cooking meat over heat or smoke in the Caribbean”
17th Century
French
barbacoa
“A Caribbean-style method or apparatus for roasting meat”
17th-18th Century
English
barbecue / barbacoa
“A method of slow-cooking meat over fire or coals, especially in colonial American usage”