June 19, 2012 Steven Raichlen to Lecture on "The Evolution of Barbecue," July 24

Press Contact: Donna Urschel (202) 707-1639
Public Contact: Alison Kelly (202) 707-0911

Award-winning cookbook author and “master griller” Steven Raichlen will lecture at the Library of Congress on the history of barbecue, from the discovery of live-fire cooking nearly 2 million years ago to the invention of the charcoal briquette, gas grills and modern barbecue restaurants.

Raichlen will present “Man, Food, Fire: The Evolution of Barbecue” at 11:30 a.m. on Tuesday, July 24, in Dining Room A on the sixth floor of the James Madison Building, 101 Independence Ave. SE, Washington, D.C. Following the lecture, Raichlen will sign his new book, “Best Ribs Ever,” and other titles.

Sponsored by the Library’s Science, Technology and Business Division, the event is free and open to the public. No tickets are needed.

Raichlen will discuss the cultural and etymological origins of barbecue, including the unexpected contributions by Homer, Apicius, St. Lawrence, George Washington, Abraham Lincoln and Henry Ford. He will explain the difference between barbecuing and grilling, dry rubs and marinades, kettle grills and kamado cookers. Also, he will discuss Indian tandoori, South African braai, Brazilian churrasco, traditional Texas brisket, Taino Indian barbacoa, Greek gyro and Turkish shish kebab.

The host of “Primal Grill” on PBS, Raichlen is the author of 28 cookbooks, including “The Barbecue Bible” and “BBQ USA.” He has won five James Beard Awards for his cookbooks.

The Library of Congress, the nation’s oldest federal cultural institution and the largest library in the world, holds more than 151.8 million items in various languages, disciplines and formats. The Library serves the U.S. Congress and the nation both on-site in its reading rooms on Capitol Hill and through its award-winning website at www.loc.gov.

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PR 12-129
2012-06-19
ISSN 0731-3527