Q 01/05

The English word 'barbecue' comes, via Spanish 'barbacoa', from the language of which people?

A) The Maya

B) The Taíno

C) The Inca

D) The Aztecs

Answer · why

B) The Taíno

Spaniards arriving after 1492 found them roasting meat on a wooden framework over a fire; the folk etymology 'barbe à queue' (beard to tail) is a myth...

Q 02/05

Which of these is NOT one of the four major US regional barbecue styles usually cited?

A) Santa Maria

B) Kansas City

C) Memphis-style

D) Central Texas

Answer · why

A) Santa Maria

The big four are North Carolina, Memphis, Kansas City and Texas; California's Santa Maria tri-tip tradition is a beloved regional style but not one of...

Q 03/05

In North Carolina, what are the two rival barbecue styles that feud light-heartedly with each other?

A) Raleigh and Charlotte

B) Upstate and Lowcountry

C) Lexington and Eastern

D) Piedmont and Coastal

Answer · why

C) Lexington and Eastern

A 2006 bill to make the Lexington festival 'official' was defeated; a 2007 compromise made it merely the official food festival of the Piedmont Triad.

Q 04/05

Lexington-style 'red slaw' is coleslaw made with what in place of the usual creamy dressing?

A) Beet juice and sugar

B) Hot pepper relish

C) Red cabbage juice

D) The pit's own vinegar-tomato sauce

Answer · why

D) The pit's own vinegar-tomato sauce

It is also called barbecue slaw, and it is what a Lexington plate is judged on almost as much as the pork.

Q 05/05

Memphis-style ribs come 'wet' or 'dry'. What makes a rib 'dry'?

A) It is served with sauce on the side only

B) It is cooked without smoke

C) It is grilled over direct heat

D) It is coated in a spice rub and served without sauce

Answer · why

D) It is coated in a spice rub and served without sauce

Wet ribs are brushed with sauce before, during and after cooking; Memphis is overwhelmingly a pork town.