Columbia gazette., 1854-04-29
MISCELLANY.
A VIRGINIA BARBECUE

The word barbecue is said to be de
rived from combination of two French
words, signifying from the head to the
tail, or rather, according to the mod
erns, the whole figure, or the whole
hog. By some, this species Of enter
tainment is thought to have originated
in the West India Islands. However
this may bc,it is quite certain that it was
first introduced into this country by the
early settlers of Virginia; and through ali
the Southern States, il is commonly
looked upon as pleasant invention Of
the Old Dominion. The idea was evil
IDENTIFY conceived by rural population,
and in district where villages and the
ordinary buildings of the present time
were few and far between. For pur-
poses or pleasure, the people found it
necessary or advisable to meet together
in masses at stated periods, and as these
meetings were made kind of rural fcs-
tival, and as the animals served up on
such occasions were commonly roasted
entire, it was not unnatural that the
feast should envcntually have become
known as barbecue.
OF the genus barbecue, as it exists at
the present time, we believe there are
onl y two varieties known to the people
Of Virginia, and one Of these may be
denominated as social The social bar
becue is sometimes given at the expense
of a single individual, but more com
monty by party of gentlemen who de-
sire to crafty their friends and neigh
bors by a social entertainment At
times the ceremony Of issuing written in
vitations is attended to, but generally
speaking, it is understood that all the
yeomanry of the immediate neighbor-
hood, with their wives and children, will
be heartily welcomed, and a spirit of
perfect equality invariably prevails.
The spot ordinarily selected for the
meeting is an oaken grove in some pleas
mt vale, and the first movement is to
despatch to the selected place a crowd
Of faithful negroes, for the purpose of
making all the necessary arrangements.
If the barbecue is given at the ex-
pcnsc Of half dozen gentleman, you
may safely calculate that at least thirty
servants will be employed in bringing
together the good things. Those be-
longing to one Of the entertainers will
probably make their appearance on the
ground with a wagon load of fine
young pigs: others will bring two or taree
lambs, others some fine old whiskev and
sapfly of wine, others an abundance
of bread, and others will make their ap-
pearance in the capacity of musicians
When the neccssaries are thus collected
the servants all join hands and proceed
with their important duties. They first
dig pit four feet wide, two or three
deep and as long as they require, into
which they throw quantity of wood, for
the purpose Of obtaining therefrom a
bed Of burning Goals. This done, the
more expert kitchen negroes proceed to
roast (by laying them upon sticks across
the fre) the various animals prepared
Tor the occasion. In the mean time. all
the other arrangements are progressing,
such as spreading the white cloths upon
the temporary board tables land clearing a
place for dancing. The guests begin to
assemble about ten o'clock, and by noon
there Is hardly tree within hailing dis.
tance OF the centre of attraction to which
horse is not fastened. The assembly
is quite large, and white dresses and
scarlet shawls are as numerous as the
summer flowers upon the neigboring hills.
Old men are here with their wives and
daughters, in whose veins Aoweth the
best of aristoc:atic blood; young hus-
bands with their wives; unmarried gen
tlemen with bevy Of laughing girls un-