Barbecue - 9780817317188

"Moss knows more about the history of barbecue than anyone I've yet encountered, and nothing like this book has ever before been published. To his great credit, he treats his subject seriously but not solemnly. Barbecue is simply a lot of fun to read about. At least it is in Moss's hands. He has some good stories to tell, and he tells them well. I love it that aristocrats of the South Carolina low country established private clubs where gentlemen could eat `eue without having to mingle with hoi polloi. And who knew that barbecue once flourished in New England?"---John Shelton Reed, Coauthor of Holy Smoke: The Big Book of North Carolina Barbecue

"Amazing as it seems, in all the welter of barbecue books, there is not a single one that comes close to recording this history. The effort has been long over-due, but here it is, finally, and it fills some huge gaps in the long and colorful story of this food tradition. I venture to guess that when word gets around that a real social history of barbecue has been published, thousands of Americans who love this subject will be clamoring for a copy."---John Egerton, author of Southern Food: At Home, on the Road, in History

Americans enjoy reading about barbecue almost as much as they love eating it. Books on the subject cover almost every aspect of the topic: recipes, grilling tips, restaurant guides, pit-building instructions, and catalogs of exotic variants such as Mongolian barbecue and Indian tandoori cooking. Despite this coverage, the history of barbecue in the United States has until now remained virtually untold.

But Barbecue: The History of an American Institution draws on hundreds of sources to tell the story of barbecue from its origins among Native Americans to its present status as an icon of American culture. This is the story not just of a dish but of a social institution that helped shape the many regional cultures of the United States. The story begins with British colonists' adoption of barbecuing techniques from Native Americans in the 16th and 17th centuries, moves to barbecue's establishment as the preeminent form of public celebration in the 19th century, and continues to barbecue's iconic status today.

From the very beginning, barbecues were powerful social magnets, drawing together people from a wide range of classes and geographic backgrounds. Barbecue played a key role in three centuries of American history, both reflecting and influencing the direction of an evolving society. By conveying the story of barbecue from its origins to today, Barbecue: The History of an American Institution traces the very thread of American social history.