Barbecue is everywhere for the Fourth of July. Here's its origin story.

Maybe you spell it “barbecue” or barbeque or BBQ.

And maybe you prefer a nice charred burger to a smoky steak and a sweet sauce over one that has more of a vinegar tang to it.

Regardless of how you take it, or spell it, barbecue as we know it has the same origins — stretching back to before Europeans set foot in the U.S.

Now technically, the method of cooking outside on an open flame has likely been around since man discovered fire. Yet, it’s an early encounter between Spanish conquerors and Indigenous Caribbeans that brought us the actual word “barbecue.”

Before you get ready to scrape off the grill for this July Fourth, learn more about the history of this quintessential American tradition.

When I moved to Texas a decade ago, I was very quickly taught that “barbecue” is not a synonym for “grill.”