この『えいごで読む物語』シリーズでは、ランカル英会話に所属するメイトの日常や思い出をえいごでお届けします。

今回はアメリカ出身・Samが「BBQ」について、その歴史や本場アメリカでのBBQついて紹介してくれました。

あなたはBBQと聞くと、どんなものが頭に浮かびますか？
きっと網の上で薄切り肉を焼いたり、串刺しにして焼いたり…。
このようなものではないでしょうか？

実はアメリカで行われる「BBQ」は、私たちが指しているものとは大きく異なるそうなんです！
どのようなものなのか、ぜひこのコラムで覗いてみましょう。

初心者の方は「インテンシブ・リーディング（精読）」の読み物として、こちらのシリーズを読んでみることをオススメします。
コラムになっているため、文章量が少なく、また単語・表現も日常的に使われるものが中心となっています。
そのため、じっくりと読むインテンシブ・リーディングで文章の組み立て方に注目してみてくださいね！

インテンシブ・リーディングでは、文章・会話理解に役立つ推測力もUPします！
コラム内の押さえたい英単語や表現については随時まとめていますので、初心者の方もチャレンジしてみてくださいね。
またリーディングスキルを養う上で役立つ学習動画もご紹介していますのでぜひ最後までお読みください。

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Intro

The term ‘American food’ is sometimes a little hard to pin down. In a country built on immigrants it is difficult to find a food that is 100% unique to the United States. This is where I think that barbecue comes in.

I’m sure that barbecue is a word that everyone has heard before. The word is used all around the world and is even incorporated into the Japanese language through the use of Katakana. While many think of barbecue as an English word, the word’s origin actually comes from the Spanish barbacoa which itself is believed to be a loan word from the native peoples of Florida and the Caribbean. To many people this word has many different meanings but the general definition is food cooked using live fire and smoke. However, being from Texas, the word to me has a very specific meaning.

Barbecue is a cornerstone of southern cuisine in the US. In my part of the country, we are VERY serious about our barbecue. When we talk about ‘eating barbecue’ we are referring specifically to eating smoked meat, typically beef or pork including many varieties based on region and preparation. In the following article, I will do my best to shed some light on the world of American Barbecue.

Grilled vs. Smoked

In the US, particularly in ‘the south,’ when we refer to barbecue as a food item, we are talking exclusively about smoked meat. Smoking meat usually involves using a large portion of meat such a brisket, ribs, or pork butt, and cooking it over indirect heat, at a low temperature, for a long period of time. This ‘low and slow’ cooking process uses different types of wood chips such as applewood, mesquite, or hickory and allows the meat to become tender, smoky, juicy, and flavorful.

Grilling is also often referred to as ‘barbecuing,’ but many people argue that there is a large difference between the two. Grilling is cooking over direct heat for a shorter period of time. This is why Japanese Yakiniku, and Korean Samgyeopsal are commonly referred to as Japanese BBQ and Korean BBQ in the English-speaking world. Grilling is also common in the US with the classic American food staples of hamburgers, hotdogs, and steaks. This is often done at home, in the backyard with family and friends. However, while this is sometimes referred to as a barbecue, I more often hear it talked about as ‘a cookout’ or simply ‘putting burgers on the grill.’

The biggest distinction between these two different types of ‘barbecue’ is that grilling can be fairly easily done at home as long as you have a grill, and open air. On the other hand, making barbecue involves a lot of preparation and special equipment, and is usually reserved for special events such as state fairs and festivals, or is served at restaurants. There are a number of people who take up making barbecue at home as a hobby, but a large meat smoker is not a common household item in the US.

Regional Varieties

Throughout the US there are different regional varieties of barbecue including Texas brisket, Kansas City ribs, and Pulled Pork from the Carolinas just to name a few. Each of the regional varieties have their own sauce and their own flavor profile and ALL of them are delicious. I may be a bit biased here, but I think the Brisket from Texas is the best.

*実際にSamがアメリカで行ったBBQの様子。7kgの肉を14時間もかけて焼いて、お気に入りのソースで楽しんだそうです！

Want to Learn More?

If you are interested in learning more about American barbecue or even wanting to try some for yourself, I have two recommendations for you. The first is a Netflix series titled The American Barbecue Showdown, which is a competition with barbecue experts or ‘pitmasters’ from different parts of the country going head-to-head. The second is a restaurant located near Harajuku station called Smokehouse. While it is a bit pricey, I was personally really impressed by how well they were able to get the authentic flavor of different regional barbecue.

Also if you want to talk more about this, or need a recommendation on what to order, feel free to hop into one of my LanCul sessions, and I will be more than happy to talk your ear off about it.

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BBQといえば、家族や友だちと気軽に行う料理といったイメージがありましたが、アメリカではフェスティバルなどで振る舞われる料理だったなんで驚きですよね！

「本場のBBQはきっとお肉がとてもやわらかくて、いろんなソースで美味しそうなんだろうな、実際に味わってみたい！」、そう思ったらなんだかお腹が空いてきてしまいました…。笑

さて、英文リーディングはいかがでしたか？
今回は料理に関するお話だったため、味や食感、調理方法を表す単語が多く登場しましたね。

それでも文脈から「なんとなくこんなことを言っているのかな？」と推測することができたのではないでしょうか？
初めて出会った単語や、意味を忘れてしまっていた単語があったら、あなたの推測が合っていたかどうかぜひ確認してみてくださいね。

LanCul英会話では、リーディングにも役立つ学習動画を取り扱っています。リーディングのほか、ライティング、マインドセット、コミュニケーションなど教科書では学ぶことの出来ない、日常的でより実践的な多様な会話を学ぶことができます。
気になる方は下のプレビュー動画をチェックしてみてくださいね。

*ランカル英会話の公式アプリなら100本以上の学習動画が見放題。すべての冒頭部分は会員登録しなくてもアプリで視聴できるのでよかったらアプリから見てくださいね。

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