The word “barbecue” is derived from the Spanish barbacoa, the word that settlers of the New World gave the crude wooden frames Native Americans used for hanging fish and meats to smoke and slowly cook over low-banked coals. Arawak Indians of Haiti and Guyana called the structures boucans, and the art of the boucan quickly spread via buccaneers to other parts of the world.
Today, North Americans are continually firing up the grill and fanning the flames. Seasonal vegetables, fish, poultry, and other meats, enhanced with the flavor of herbs, yield delicious results in the recipes that follow.
One of the first forms of barbecuing included smoking and slowly cooking fish and meats and hanging them from wooden frames over low-banked coals.
Recipes:
Pesto & Goat Cheese StuffingPiquant Barbecue GlazeWildfire RubDijon-Tarragon Mop SauceKiwi-Lime MarinadeTrout with Leeks and Mushrooms in Angelica LeavesRoasted Pepper SauceRosemary Grilled Fruit and Angel Food CakePlanked Salmon with Savory and Cranberry Crust
Pat Crocker, home economist and culinary herbalist, photographs, lectures, and writes about food and herbs. Author of three cookbooks, including The Healing Herbs Cookbook (Robert Rose, 1999) and The Juicing Bible (Robert Rose, 2000), Pat enjoys grilling with her family every summer.
