We've put together a list of facts that you may or may not know about barbecuing. We'll be adding to the list as we discover more interesting (and strange) facts about our favourite pastime.
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It is believed that most of the 40,000 tonnes of barbecued charcoal used every year in the UK comes from unsustainable sources.
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Barbecue has many names around the world - most of them are, to a great extent, universally recognisable but some others a bit more obscure such as "braai" (South African). The more common terms include: barbeque, Bar-B-Cue, Bar-B-Q, BBQ, barbicue, barbie, barbique, Cue and Q.
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Arguably the world’s the largest barbecue event was held in Des Moines, Iowa in 2002 sponsored by both The KCBS (Kansas City Barbecue Society) and IBS (Iowa Barbecue
Society) in co-operation with the Iowa Pork Producers where over several thousand pounds of pork were barbecued and served.
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Barbecuing is becoming more spontaneous! Around 5 years ago, 70% of barbecues were pre-planned affairs, now that figure is down below 50%. While the majority still take place at the weekend, the 'off-the-cuff' after-work barbecue is becoming more and more popular.
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The biggest barbecue party ever was in New Orleans in 1997 when around 18,000 people attended a surprise 50th birthday party. Suffice to say, not all the party goers were invited or even knew the person whose birthday it was!
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The barbecue is supposed to have originated in the Caribbean where Indians used gratings of wood over a slow fire to cook strips of meat.
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In 1952, a full grown crocodile was cooked on a specially constructed 20ft long grill after it had consumed a Springbok. The mixed meat feast was served up with fresh mango to top off what must surely be the strangest barbecue meal in history!
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Beyond being able to say that "barbecue" is a European word, no one really knows the true origins of the word. In attempting to spell a Taino Indian word for their method of cooking, the Spanish came up with "barbacoa". The French have a saying "barbe a queue" which means "whiskers to tail", and roast mutton in Romanian is translated as "barbec". Pick whichever suits you best!
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While summer is obviously the most popular time to barbecue, more than one in ten people claim to be year-round barbecuers.
Add your facts
If you've any other barbecue facts that you'd like to share with us send them in to enquiries@bbq.co.uk and we'll add the best to the list!
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