barbacoa

English

A serving of barbacoa

Etymology

Borrowed from Spanish barbacoa (whence also barbecue), from Taíno barbakoa (“framework of sticks”), the raised wooden structure the natives used to either sleep on or cure meat. Originally “meal of roasted meat or fish”.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ˌbɑː(ɹ)bəˈkoʊ.ə/

• Audio (US):

  (file)

Noun

barbacoa (uncountable)

1. Meat slow-cooked over an open fire, characteristic of Latin American cuisine.
   • 2004 January 16, Mike Sula, “The Cooking Life”, in Chicago Reader‎^[1]:

     At first Andablo tried to make barbacoa with cow heads, but something about American beef didn't taste right. "

Related terms

• barbecue
• balbacua

See also

• barbacoa on Wikipedia.Wikipedia

Catalan

Etymology

Borrowed from Spanish barbacoa, from Taíno barbakoa.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): (Central, Balearic) [bər.bəˈko.ə]
• IPA^(key): (Valencia) [baɾ.baˈko.a]

Noun

barbacoa f (plural barbacoes)

1. barbecue (fireplace or pit for grilling food)
2. barbecue (meat that has been cooked in such an apparatus)

Further reading

• “barbacoa” in Diccionari de la llengua catalana, segona edició, Institut d’Estudis Catalans.
• “barbacoa”, in Gran Diccionari de la Llengua Catalana, Grup Enciclopèdia Catalana, 2024
• “barbacoa” in Diccionari normatiu valencià, Acadèmia Valenciana de la Llengua.
• barbacoa on the Catalan Wikipedia.Wikipedia ^ca

Spanish

Etymology

Borrowed from Taíno barbakoa (“framework of sticks”), the raised wooden structure the Indians used to either sleep on or cure meat. Originally “meal of roasted meat or fish”.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /baɾbaˈkoa/ [baɾ.β̞aˈko.a]

• Audio:

  (file)

• Rhymes: -oa
• Syllabification: bar‧ba‧co‧a

Noun

barbacoa f (plural barbacoas)

1. barbecue (fireplace or pit for grilling food)
2. meats (traditionally from the inside of a cow's cheek or jaw) or a whole sheep slow cooked over an open fire, or more traditionally, in a hole dug in the ground covered with maguey leaves, although the interpretation is loose
3. meat steamed until tender (most common present use)

Derived terms

• salsa barbacoa

 

Descendants

• → English: barbecue
  • → Cebuano: barbekyu
  • → Tagalog: barbikyu
• → Cebuano: balbakuwa
  • → English: balbacua
• → Tagalog: balbakwa

Further reading

• “barbacoa”, in Diccionario de la lengua española [Dictionary of the Spanish Language] (in Spanish), 23rd edition, Royal Spanish Academy, 2014 October 16

• barbacoa on the Spanish Wikipedia.Wikipedia ^es