Regional variations of barbecue facts for kids
Barbecue is a super fun way to cook food, especially meat, outdoors! But did you know that barbecue isn't the same everywhere? Different countries and cultures have their own special ways of doing it. This includes the types of meat they use, the sauces and spices, how much smoke is involved, and even the cooking tools and fuel.
Sometimes, the meat is a whole piece, or it can be ground up for things like hamburgers. It can also be made into sausages or kebabs. Before cooking, meat might be soaked in a special liquid called a marinade or rubbed with tasty spices. People might also brush it with sauce or oil while it cooks, or even after!
Contents
- Barbecue Around the World
Barbecue Around the World
African Barbecue Traditions
South African Braai
In South Africa, people have something called a braai. It's like a barbecue or grill, but it's also a big social event. The word braai comes from the Afrikaans language. It can mean both the way you cook food and the cooking equipment itself.
A braai is often different from a regular barbecue. It's a very important social custom in Southern Africa. Many South Africans feel that a braai is much more special than a barbecue.
Long ago, wood was the main fuel for a braai. Now, people often use charcoal, briquettes, or gas because they are easier. But some people still love cooking with wood. A small, movable braai is called a braai stand.
Braais are usually relaxed gatherings. Friends and families meet at a picnic spot or someone's home. Everyone often brings their own meat, salad, or side dish. Common foods include boerewors (a type of sausage), sosaties (meat on skewers), kebabs, chicken, pork, and lamb chops. In areas near the coast, fish and rock lobster are also popular.
Sometimes, a braai is called a Bring-and-Braai. This means guests bring their own food and drinks. Another important part of the meal is pap, which is made from finely ground corn. It's often eaten with a tomato and onion sauce or a spicy chakalaka.
Braais are usually held outdoors, especially during the long summer months. They are a common way to celebrate many things, like birthdays or holidays.
Shisa Nyama
Shisa nyama is another term for barbecue in many South African townships. It means "burn meat" in the Zulu language. Friends and families gather to grill meat over an open fire. This often happens near a butchery. Usually, only people who buy meat from that butcher can use the grilling area.
National Braai Day
There's even a special day for braai! It's called Braai Day, and it's celebrated every year on September 24th. This day is also Heritage Day in South Africa. It's a way to celebrate South Africa's many cultures and bring everyone together through the fun of a braai.
Zimbabwean Braai
In Zimbabwe, people also use the word braai for barbecue. Other local names are kugocha or chesa nyama. They cook different meats like beef, pork, and chicken. Many salads are served too, such as potato salad and chakalaka. Sadza (a thick porridge) and rice are also common.
Caribbean Barbecue Styles
Barbecue is very popular across the Caribbean islands. Each island has its own unique ways of preparing it.
Cuban and Puerto Rican Lechon
The native Taíno people used to cook meat slowly over a wooden frame. In Spanish-speaking islands like Cuba and Puerto Rico, a dish called lechon is very popular. This involves cooking a whole pig slowly on a rotating rod over a fire.
Jamaican Jerk Chicken
In Jamaica, a famous barbecue style is Jamaican jerk chicken. It's known for its spicy and flavorful marinade.
East Asian Grilling Traditions
Chinese Barbecue
In China, Chuanr are small pieces of meat on skewers. They are roasted over charcoal or electric heat. Chuanr started in Xinjiang and is now a popular street food all over China. Lamb is the most common, but you can also find chicken, pork, beef, and seafood.
Some restaurants let you barbecue at your own table. In Cantonese-speaking areas, char siu is popular. This is pork barbecue made with honey and soy sauce. It's cooked in long, thin strips and is a common street food.
Outdoor barbecues are also popular in country parks. People use charcoal grills and long forks to cook marinated meats like beef, pork, and chicken wings. They often brush honey on the meat near the end. Corn and sweet potatoes wrapped in foil are also cooked on the hot coals. Everyone usually gathers around the fire and cooks their own food, similar to a fondue.
Korean Barbecue
Korean barbecue is very famous. Bulgogi is thinly sliced beef marinated in soy sauce, sesame oil, garlic, and chili pepper. It's cooked on a grill right at your table. It's served with rice and side dishes like kimchi. Bulgogi means "fire meat." Another popular Korean BBQ is galbi, which are marinated ribs.
Japanese Barbecuing
Barbecuing is a popular outdoor activity in Japan. Japanese barbecue often includes more vegetables and seafood than in other countries. Soy sauce or soy-based sauces are commonly used.
You might also find yakisoba (fried noodles) cooked on the grill. Other grilled dishes include jingisukan (mutton), yakiniku (grilled meat), and horumonyaki (beef or pork offal). Yakitori is like a Japanese shish kebab. Chicken and steak are also grilled with teriyaki sauce.
Southeast Asian Barbecue
Satay
Satay is a very popular barbecue dish in many Southeast Asian countries. These include Thailand, Malaysia, Singapore, Indonesia, and the Philippines. Satay is made of small pieces of meat on bamboo sticks. The meat is marinated in spices and crushed peanuts.
Chicken, lamb, and beef are common meats for satay. In some places, you can also find pork or animal offal. After cooking over charcoal, satay is served with a thick, peanut-flavored dipping sauce.
Philippine Inihaw and Lechon
In the Philippines, local barbecue dishes are called inihaw. They are often made with pork or chicken on bamboo skewers. They come with a soy sauce and vinegar-based dip. Inihaw is often sold as street food and eaten with white rice. Famous types include chicken inasal and isaw (grilled chicken intestines).
A very popular type of inihaw is lechón. This is a whole pig roasted on a spit. It's stuffed with lemongrass and other spices. Even though it has a Spanish name, the cooking method and ingredients are from the Philippines. Lechon manok, which is a whole roasted chicken, is also popular.
Singaporean BBQ
In Singapore, barbecue (or BBQ) is a common part of social gatherings. Many Singaporeans live in apartments, so they often have BBQ parties in parks or chalets.
The Singapore National Parks Board rents out barbecue pits in popular parks. Singapore-style BBQ often uses charcoal. People roast a mix of Southeast Asian and Western foods.
Besides satay, popular BBQ foods include sambal stingray (fish wrapped in foil), grilled chicken, pork, and beef marinated in BBQ sauce. Taiwanese sausages and marshmallows on sticks are also grilled.
Thai Mu Kratha
Mu kratha is a special cooking method from Thailand. It's also known as mookata in other Southeast Asian countries. With Mu kratha, sliced meat (often pork) is grilled on a dome in the middle of the pan. Vegetables and other ingredients like fish balls cook in a soup around the dome. The pan sits on a pail of burning charcoal. This lets you grill and boil food at the same time!
Pork, chicken, seafood, vegetables, and mushrooms are great for this. It's usually served with a dipping sauce called nam chim suki.
Central and Southern Asian Barbecue
Indian, Pakistani, and Afghan Tandoor
The tandoor is a special clay oven used for a type of barbecue. It's common in Northern India, Afghanistan, and Pakistan. It's great for baking and grilling. People also grill different meats covered in spicy cream-based batter, like tikka masala. This dish is very famous in Indian cuisine.
Mongolian Khorkhog and Boodog
Nomadic Mongolians have unique barbecue methods. One is khorkhog. They heat palm-sized stones over a fire. Then, they layer lamb and hot stones in a pot to cook the meat. People believe holding the hot stones is good for health.
Another method is boodog. They cook a whole marmot or goat inside its own skin over a fire. No pot is needed!
The "Mongolian barbecue" you see in restaurants is actually a cooking style that started in Taiwan. It's not truly from Mongolia. It involves thinly sliced meat, vegetables, and noodles cooked quickly on a large, flat, hot metal surface.
European Grilling Styles
German Grillen
Germans love their version of barbecue, called Grillen, especially in summer. It's often a male activity in traditional home cooking.
Germans grill over charcoal or gas. They cook Bratwurst (sausages), steaks (especially marinated pork), and poultry. Festivals often feature grilled items like eel, trout, or whole sides of pork.
An old German barbecue food is Mutzbraten from Saxony and Thuringia. It's a piece of pork shoulder with strong spices, cooked and smoked over birch wood. It's usually served with bread, sauerkraut, and mustard.
Mediterranean Barbecue
Barbecuing is popular in Mediterranean countries. Olive oil is a key ingredient. Common foods include chicken, beef steaks, souvlakis (skewers), halloumi cheese, and pita bread. Meats are often marinated in olive oil and citrus juice, then seasoned with herbs and spices.
Russian Shashlik
Shashlik is the Russian version of shish kebab. It's cooked on a grill. Traditionally, it's made of lamb, but you can also find pork, beef, chicken, or sturgeon shashliks.
UK and Ireland Barbecues
Barbecuing is a popular outdoor cooking style in the United Kingdom and Republic of Ireland. Many homes have a barbecue in their garden. People use charcoal or gas.
Common foods include chicken, hamburgers, sausages, beef steaks, pork chops, corn-on-the-cob, and shish kebabs. Less common items are lamb, fish, prawns, and vegetables. Barbecue sauce is often brushed on the meat.
Modern British barbecuing is very diverse, with influences from many cultures. It often looks similar to barbecue styles in North America, Germany, and Australia.
Middle Eastern and Eastern Mediterranean Grilling
Iranian Kabob
In Iran, there are different types of kabob. The main one is kubideh kabob, which is seasoned ground beef on skewers cooked over charcoal. There's also jujeh kabob (marinated chicken kabob) and kabob barg (steak kabob). These are usually served with saffron rice and salad.
Israeli Al-Haesh
In Israel, "Al-Haesh" (meaning "on the fire") is common. It often happens on national holidays. Small, disposable grills are used to cook foods like kebabs with chicken, beef, or vegetables.
Turkish Mangal
Barbecuing is popular in Turkey. Kebabs like şiş kebap and Adana kebap, köfte, fish, chicken, and some vegetables are usually cooked on a mangal (a type of grill).
North American Barbecue Styles
Canadian Barbecue
Native peoples in Canada have cooked meats over open flames for a very long time. The American style of barbecue became popular in Canada after World War II. By the late 1950s, barbecue became a regular part of Canadian summers.
Canadian barbecue is influenced by American, British, and European styles. Common foods include chicken, burgers, ribs, steaks, sausages, and shish kebabs. Barbecue sauce is often used.
Mexican Parrilladas
In Mexico, Carne asada means "roasted meat." It's marinated beef rubbed with salt and pepper, then grilled. It's often served with tortillas and grilled onions and bell peppers. This dish is very popular across Mexico and the southwestern United States.
Another popular dish is barbacoa, which is sheep meat cooked slowly over an open flame or in a fire pit. Pollo asado (roasted chicken) is also common.
Mexican barbecue gatherings are called parrilladas. They include different types of beef, chicken, pork, and sausages. Grilled vegetables like green onions and chili peppers are also common.
United States Barbecue
Barbecue in the United States has many different styles. Four main styles are well-known: North Carolina and Memphis styles, which focus on pork, and Kansas City and Texas styles, which use both beef and pork.
American barbecue can involve baking, grilling, or smoking different meats. Many supermarkets now offer barbecue products and sauces.
South American Asado
Asado is a special way of cooking meat, usually beef, on a grill (called a parrilla) or over an open fire. It's considered the traditional dish of Argentina, Uruguay, Paraguay, Chile, southern Brazil, and Bolivia.
Argentinian and Uruguayan Asado
In Argentina and Uruguay, asado is often cooked on a parrilla. Different cuts of meat, sausages, and offal are placed on a metal grill over charcoal. The cooking takes about 60 to 90 minutes.
Another way is asado al disco, where a old plow disc is used as a griddle. Meat and offal are arranged in a spiral. This way, the fat drips to the center, keeping the meat from deep-frying.
There's also asado al horno de barro, which uses a traditional adobe oven. These ovens are common in Argentine ranches and are great for roasting meat. This method makes the meat very tender and smoky.
Brazilian Churrasco
In Brazil, the barbecue style is called churrasco. Many Brazilian restaurants, called churrascarias, serve churrasco.
Chilean Asado
In Chile, asado is usually served with pebre. This is a local sauce made from herbs, garlic, and mild chili peppers.
Oceania Barbecue Styles
Australian Barbie
In Australia, barbecuing is a popular summer activity, often called a "barbie." Common meats are lamb chops, beef steak, and sausages (called "snags"). Many city parks have free public gas or electric barbecues.
People sometimes drizzle beer over the meat while it cooks. This is thought to add flavor and make the meat more tender. Fish and seafood like prawns and rock lobster are also popular.
Breakfast is another meal cooked on the barbecue. It often includes bacon, eggs, sausages, and tomatoes. Holding barbecues is also a common way to raise money for schools and local groups. They often sell sausages and onions on white bread, with tomato sauce.
Hawaiian Kalua and Lūʻau
The native people of Hawaii have a traditional barbecue called kalua. It's cooked in an underground oven called an imu. The lūʻau is a traditional Hawaiian feast that often features this type of cooking. Tourists helped make this style famous.
New Zealand Barbecues
Barbecues are very popular in New Zealand. Many homes have a barbecue, usually powered by bottled LPG. Electric barbecues are also available for free at many beaches and parks.
Foods cooked include beef, lamb, pork, fresh fish, crayfish, shellfish, and vegetables. Sausages are a favorite. New Zealand barbecue is a mix of American, British, Australian, South African, and Pacific Island styles. Different cultures in New Zealand have also influenced the flavors and foods found at barbecues.
South Pacific Earth Ovens
Barbecuing is popular in the Australasian, Melanesian, Micronesian, and Polynesian islands. Each culture has its own version of earth oven barbecue. These are some of the oldest and most practiced barbecue styles.
In Tahiti, their earth oven barbecue is called a hima’a. In the Marquesas Islands, it's known as the umu. For many tropical islands, the meat is marinated, glazed with a tasty sauce, and served with local tropical fruits. Pork is very common, but horse meat is also popular in countries like Tonga and Samoa.
