Documentary Film Review: America Eats: Barbecue

50 minutes.
Copyright 2006; A & E Television Networks: The History Channel.
$24.95. DVD.

When I saw the title of this documentary I couldn't resist it. What Southerner could? I did wonder how it could only be 50 minutes long though. I figured that the makers of America Eats Barbecue must have left all the friendly bickering out. I was right. This was an excellent documentary with no bickering, but lots of fun information. I enjoyed listening the mostly Southern accents talk about barbecue - not a fake accent in the bunch. It was music to my Southern ears.

"America Eats Barbecue" is a history of barbecue, from the 1600's to today. I found it fascinating that Spanish sailors brought the idea of barbecue from Haiti in the early 1600's to North Carolina. Once the idea landed in the South, we have been tinkering with it and making it all ours. One of my favorite lines from the documentary is "Barbecue isn't just food, it's an event." So true! Barbecues traditionally are where you take the family, visit with friends and have lots of food and fun.

I loved how the documentary goes back into history picks out different historical figures like George Washington to tell how much that person enjoyed a good barbecue. They also cover the different types of barbecue in different geographic areas. They traveled from North Carolina to Texas to Kansas City then on to New York City. Oh, and they covered the important issue of barbecuing virus grilling.

Another important point "America Eats Barbecue" covers is that barbecue is made up of three components: meat, equipment and sauce. I hadn't thought it out that much, but they are right. Another point they brought up that made me smile and nod my head yes: barbecue is like the home team and each region will defend their version of barbecue.

America Eats is a History Channel show, you can check the schedule to see when it will be showing in your area by clicking here (http://www.history.com/schedule.do ). Just put "America Eats" in the Schedule Search box. The show is advertised as "AMERICAN EATS is the quirky, nostalgic and often surprising look back at the history, mystery and technology behind our favorite foods."

Bottom line: In case you haven't been paying attention, I'll tell you again I loved this documentary; it makes me want to watch the whole series. I love the concept of looking at the history of a particular food, but not being too serious about the whole process.

Other film reviews by Genie Walker:
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