When we lived in Virginia, every fall our realtor, Linda Burchett, hosted a Pig and Chicken Roast (aka, a barbecue). My thought was meat on a grill ... not whole hog over a fire.
The word barbecue is said to be derived from a combination of two French words, signifying from the head to the tail, or rather, "according to the moderns," the whole figure, or the whole hog.
Some say this form of entertainment is thought to have originated in the West India Islands. We do know the barbecue was first introduced into this country by the early settlers of Virginia; and though well known throughout all the Southern States, it is commonly looked upon as a"pleasant invention" of the Old Dominion. In the 1700s and 1800s, for the purpose of business or pleasure, early Americans found it necessary to meet together in masses. At these meetings--rural festivals--the meats served were commonly roasted entire.
