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The History of an American Institution
University of Alabama Press
September 2010
On Sale: September 19, 2010
277 pages ISBN: 081731718X EAN: 9780817317188 Hardcover
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Non-Fiction Cooking / Food
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 tandoor
cooking. Despite this coverage, the history of barbecue in
the United States has until now remained virtually untold. Barbecue: The History of an American Institution
draws on hundreds of sources to document
the evolution 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 history 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 is carried through 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
tracing the story of barbecue from its origins to
today, Barbecue: The History of an American
Institution traces the very thread of American social
history.
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