BBQ for the South
Hobsbawm categorizes invented traditions as either ‘political’ or ‘social’, depending on how they were founded. Political invented traditions were established by organized movements, while social invented traditions arose more organically without a conscious goal. An invented tradition is an action rather than an event - invented traditions are behaviors which are repeatedly practiced by a community. Invented traditions typically hold some sort of cultural or social significance for the practitioners. Also, a community does not have to be aware of why the tradition started; they just have to follow it to maintain the tradition. Barbecue is an invented tradition for people who live in the Southern United States.
Barbecue is a ‘social’ invented tradition since it developed without any intended end goal or political motivations. The leading theory on the origins of the word barbecue is that Spanish explorers used the word barbacoa to describe the barbecue-like cooking technique (slow cooking over a wooden platform) of Caribbean peoples. Barbecue caught on in the Southern United States partly because pigs were such a convenient food source. Unlike cows, which require closed pastures and tons of maintenance, pigs could be allows to just forage for themselves in the forest and then caught when they needed to be eaten. This method of feeding led to much leaner pigs, and thus tougher meat. To make the meat more tender, Southerners turned to barbecue techniques. Slow-cooking the meat over an indirect heat also added a distinct smoke flavor to it. Southerners took pride in their ability to depend on an inexpensive food source and make it supremely tasty. All parts of the pig were could be eaten, and the actual cooking and eating of pigs became a cause for communities to gather together. You can imagine that it would be easier and more enjoyable for a large group of people to cook, prepare, and eat the food rather than just smaller groups. Barbecue in Texas did not follow this pig-centric culture. German immigrants in Texas had the space to raise cattle, so Texans applied the barbecue technique to beef. European immigrants brought meat-smoking traditions to Texas by the mid 1800’s.
Most contemporary Texans are not aware of the origins of barbecue or why it caught on, but this does not prevent them from continuing the tradition of beef barbecue. Barbecue is still popular in Texas today, but not because there are still many German immigrants smoking meats and running butcher shops. People today value barbecue for its taste, and they recognize barbecue as a cuisine which is characteristic of the South. So the motivations for practicing barbecue have changed over time, and so has the process of making barbecue. Historically, barbecue was prepared in huge pits dug into the ground. Hot coals would be placed in these holes and different cuts of meat were cooked above them. Over time, the unsanitary nature of this process and the rise of concerns about the environmental impacts of barbecue (it produces large amounts of smoke) have caused the barbecue-making process to adapt. Old-fashioned smokers for the most part have been replaced by modern high-tech gas ovens which automate much of the traditional barbecue process such as controlling temperature and trapping smoke. Experts and connoisseurs agree that modern techniques do not do justice to the old fashioned style of preparing barbecue, so establishments which still use older styles are usually popular and in high demand.
Any Southerner can attest to the cultural value of barbecue, but it is more difficult to describe exactly what cultural value is has. Barbecue contributes to the group identity of United States Southerners, but how? We have already established that most people today are not aware of the reasons why barbecue rose to popularity. I doubt that many people actively consider the sociological implications of their daily activities such as eating barbecue enough to recognize it as an invented tradition. However, whether or not barbecue is recognized as an invented tradition by the community which practices it, it still contributes to a group identity. While one could argue that barbecue arose as a ‘social’ invented tradition since it was influenced by what resources were available to Southerners, barbecue was adopted as a ‘political’ invented tradition later on. In 1964, President Lyndon B. Johnson held a barbecue state dinner in Texas, and this act formalized barbecue as a tradition for the South.
In his book about Southern food, Egerton notes that: “For as long as there has been a South, and people who think of themselves as Southerners, food has been central to the region’s image, its personality and its character”, and barbecue is an example of this culture. From before the first presidential state barbecue dinner, barbecue has continued to be symbolic of community as expressed through countless church barbecue lunches and neighborhood cook-offs. Barbecue fosters community because it is accessible to people of all income levels. Barbecue can also be seen as a culinary manifestation of the “slow, Southern” lifestyle as opposed to the fast-paced industrial Northern stereotype of the time. Finally, barbecue serves as homage to the South’s history of being a relatively poor region. People feel proud that they are able to transform low quality ingredients into prized products.
People feel comfortable when they are part of a group, and when people eat barbecue, they understand that they are contributing to a part of the southern culture. Barbecue fans also appreciate that a lot of time and effort goes into preparing the meat, so they are aware of the sense of pride and tradition associated with barbecue even without knowing the specific history of barbecue. Barbecue as an invented tradition for the South serves to bring people together from all walks of life, since at the core, we are all human and we all enjoy good food.