What day is it?

Who among you would not like to enjoy a delicious barbecue in the fresh air? Here’s your reason – World barbecue day, which is celebrated in different parts of the country every year on the second Friday of July. In 2022, this “delicious” holiday falls on July 8.

How did the idea to celebrate World Barbecue Day come about?

The dish called “shashlik” comes from the nomadic tribes of Asia, but meat was prepared in a similar way in other nations of the world. In fact, the roots of barbecue are much deeper – primitive people cooked the meat of hunted animals on an open fire. And the first historical references to this dish date back to antiquity. In those days, people roasted whole animal carcasses on spits. These were bison, boars and other animals. And the monuments of the 6th-7th centuries in the form of paintings and drawings show how carcasses of chickens, ducks, hares and large pieces of meat were roasted on spits.

Feature barbecue in that the meat is cut into small pieces for him. This is somewhat different from roasting whole animal carcasses over a fire. Historians are of the opinion that the popularity of small cuts of meat for frying in the steppe areas of Europe and Asia is due to faster and more economical cooking. So, in order to cook small pieces of meat, much less wood was needed.

The origin of the term “barbecue”

Professional chefs consider shashlik to be the national dish of representatives of the Turkic peoples, since the very term “shashlik” is of Crimean Tatar origin and means meat roasted on a spit. According to some historians, this term is of Scythian origin. And this opinion also has the right to life, since in the Scythian language “Sha” is translated as flesh or meat, and “Lig” means to cut, cut. That is, “shalig” is chopped meat.

In Turkey and Bulgaria, shish kebab is called “shish-kebab”, Iranians call it “shilyk” or “kebab”. The word “kebab” comes from the Persian language and translates as “to burn, to char.” The peoples of Transcaucasia consider shashlik to be their national dish, although they call it differently. Yes, Azerbaijanis call shashlik by the already familiar word “kebab”. In Georgian cuisine, it is “mtsvadi”, Armenians like to eat meat roasted on spits, which is called “horovats”. In addition to the fact that each country has its own special name for shish kebab, the methods of its preparation also differ.

Today, Ukrainians like to go outside in the warm season and cook barbecue with their own hands. Fresh air, pleasant aromas of smoke and good company will allow you to celebrate World Barbecue Day in the best possible way.

Interesting facts about barbecue

Residents of different countries took on the task of preparing the largest barbecue. So, in 2011, in Riga, the capital of Latvia, chefs prepared a barbecue from 1.5 tons of meat, and 2 years later in Kyiv, 1 ton and 600 kilograms of meat were used to prepare a mega-barbecue, which is 100 kg more. As part of the “Galician Defilada” festival, which took place in Ternopil in 2014, the chefs prepared the longest barbecue. Its length reached two hundred meters.

The record achievement was the preparation of the largest number of kebabs at one time. It happened in the Mariupol brigade of the operational command. Volunteers of the “Concerning Citizens of Gorenka” public association acted as the initiator and organizer of the action. At one time, 700 kg of meat was prepared on the 401st skewer. The total length of all skewers was 160 m. The record was recorded by specialists and entered into the “Book of Records of Ukraine”.

How to celebrate World Barbecue Day?

The tradition of having fun with a barbecue in nature in the circle of relatives and close people has taken root in us for a long time. However, not everyone knows how to cook a perfect kebab. World barbecue day is another opportunity to get acquainted with the secrets of cooking this seemingly simple dish.

We choose meat

If you want the barbecue to please you not only with the intoxicating aroma of smoke, but also with an unsurpassed taste, choose the meat carefully. First of all, it should be fresh, not thawed. Fresh pieces can be determined by elasticity and density. But the thawed one has a loose structure and releases liquid. In addition, fresh meat smells nice and has a dry surface.

Pay attention to the color – the cut pieces have a juicy glossy color. Pork should be a pleasant pink color, beef – juicy red, lamb – red pieces with white layers. Do not buy old meat that is too dark in color. Thin pieces of the flesh of young animals are easily torn by hand, which cannot be said about old beef or pork.

The tastiest shish kebab comes from young lamb, which has a bright red color. For frying, choose from the tenderloin, hind legs or from the back of the carcass. Lamb kebabs are eaten immediately after cooking.

Veal – to prepare kebabs, choose pieces from the brisket or fillet, as well as from the inner part of the hind legs.

Most often, Ukrainians prepare barbecue from pork, for this the neck, which is distinguished by its softness and juiciness, is ideal. You can also take ribs, pieces from the backbone or tenderloin. If you cook kebabs from the back of the pig, it will turn out dry and tough.

We cook correctly

In fact, barbecue is not prepared on an open fire, but on rolled coals. If you want a really aromatic dish, light a fire on fruit wood. Linden, oak, beech and other hardwoods are also suitable. To prepare barbecue, you should not light a bonfire on conifer wood. Their resins not only worsen the taste of the dish, but also have a negative effect on the body.

The secret of beautiful, juicy and non-burnt pieces of meat is in butter, which must be greased before cooking.

Features of the marinade

A good marinade is perhaps the most important thing in preparing a delicious barbecue. Its task is not only to give the dish the right taste, but also to make the meat soft. Pickling is done in glass or enameled dishes. Plastic bowls or aluminum pans are not suitable for this dish, as particles of these materials interact with the dish and form substances dangerous to human health. We offer the following options for marinades:

• From mineral carbonated water. Suitable for any meat, you also need salt, pepper, onion, basil. In 4 hours, the meat is perfectly marinated.
• With ginger. With the help of this marinade, you can achieve extreme tenderness and unsurpassed taste properties of meat. You can marinate pork, veal ribs, and chicken in ginger marinade. For 1 kg of meat, grate a tablespoon of ginger, add soy sauce, garlic and lemon juice.
• Marinade with beer. To prepare this marinade, first of all, you will need draft beer, which will give the meat the desired juiciness and softness. 1-1.5 liters of beer and seasoning to taste will be enough for 1 kg of meat.
• Fruit marinade. Fruit juices: grapefruit or pomegranate give tenderness and piquancy to kebabs. It is necessary to marinate meat in fruit marinade for at least 5-6 hours. However, the result will be unsurpassed both in terms of taste and aroma.

When will we celebrate World Barbecue Day??