barbacoa
/ˌbɑː(ɹ)bəˈkoʊ.ə/
barbacoa means meat slow-cooked over an open fire, characteristic of Latin American cuisine. It carries an Arena rating of 1384, earned across 40 head-to-head judged battles.
Among words judged in Lexicurio's Arena, barbacoa ranks #35 of 17,143 for Best Fossil-Poetry Words, #376 of 17,127 for Most Vivid Words, #1,541 of 17,127 for Words That Escaped Their Books, #3,118 of 17,126 for Most Satisfying to Say.
barbacoa is pronounced /ˌbɑː(ɹ)bəˈkoʊ.ə/.
Why “barbacoa” is a great word
BARBACOA — [Noun] A traditional method of slow-cooking meat, especially in a pit, characteristic of Latin American cuisine. From the Spanish barbacoa, borrowed from the Taíno barbakoa ("framework of sticks"), the raised wooden structure used for sleeping on or curing meat; originally meaning "meal of roasted meat or fish". Unlike "barbecue"—a general term for outdoor grilling—or "asado"—which broadly denotes a social roasting event—barbacoa specifies an ancient, subterranean process. It is the lamb shrouded in maguey leaves within a pit of smoldering coals, the yielding, succulent texture of goat that has steamed for hours, and the deep, earthy scent of soil and smoke. It is a culinary argument against haste, where fire and earth conspire to transform sustenance into sacrament.
Etymology
Borrowed from Spanish barbacoa (whence also barbecue), from Taíno barbakoa (“framework of sticks”), the raised wooden structure the natives used to either sleep on or cure meat. Originally “meal of roasted meat or fish”.
noun
- Meat slow-cooked over an open fire, characteristic of Latin American cuisine.e.g.“At first Andablo tried to make barbacoa with cow heads, but something about American beef didn't taste right. "” — 2004 January 16, Mike Sula, “The Cooking Life”, in Chicago Reader:
Definitions & examples from Wiktionary (CC BY-SA 3.0).
Words closest in meaning
By meaning, not spelling — each word's AI semantic fingerprint, nearest first.
- asado 69% match — Any of various dishes made from grilled or barbecued meat originating in Latin American and Philippine cuisine. vs barbacoa →
- churrasco 67% match — A type of barbecued steak, popular in Latin America. vs barbacoa →
- barbecued 67% match — Cooked on a barbecue. vs barbacoa →
- barbacoan 65% match — Of or relating to a particular language family of Colombia and Ecuador. vs barbacoa →
- barbecue 64% match — A fireplace or pit for grilling food, typically used outdoors and traditionally employing hot charcoal as the heating medium. vs barbacoa →
- barbecuey 62% match — Resembling barbecued food. vs barbacoa →
- braai 62% match — A barbecue (grill), especially an open outdoor grill built specifically for the purpose of braaing. vs barbacoa →
- balbacua 62% match — A Filipino stew of beef slow-cooked until tender, especially in the cuisine of Visayas and Mindanao. vs barbacoa →