You didn’t know that pyrates played football, huh? Crazy talk, right?
Buccaneers is their gang name. This group of formidable, especially large and especially strong pyrates may have originated as Spanish privateers, (their gang headquarters is located in Tampa Bay, Florida). Personally, I think the Spanish origin is a false rumour, more of a deliberate attempt to be mysterious. Why do I think that? Because ‘buccaneer’ is a French word. Surely no self-respecting Spanish pyrate would refer to himself as a French buccaneer, right?
Regardless of whether their beginnings are French or Spanish (or neither), they have evolved to become a ferocious gang of pyrates with an impressive flagship:
I mean, look at that skull! That would make ANY ship’s captain surrender, crawl into a fetal position, and probably soil himself as he awaited his fate.
I do love to watch the Bucs do their pillaging and pludering. I am especially fond of their regalia. Did you know that they are one of the few, perhaps only, pyrate gangs to adopt a standard uniform? Last I checked, they had several uniforms, in fact, and are selected based upon where they are pillaging. Neat, huh?
But, I do have one complaint: I’ve yet to see an actual boucan, (from which the word ‘buccaneer’ originates), anywhere in their pyrate village. Don’t you kinda need a working, functional boucan if you’re going to call yourself a buccaneer? And, how hard would it be to put one in the Buccaneer city…erm…village…stadium?
Answer: Not hard.
If you don’t know what a boucan is, think barbeque. Aye, I kid you not. Boucan is an Arawak (Caribbean native tribe) word for a cooking process. Basically, it was a slow roasting or smoking of fresh meat. The meat would be whatever was available to the Arawak, (pig, goat, deer, fish, etc). Slow cooked in a wooden frame over a small, hot fire, the results were (and are) tender, juicy meals fit for a pyrate king.
Pyrates in the caribbean adopted the boucan method. When on land, if there was game to hunt, it was just too easy to set up a feast while stretching your sea legs. The French called it boucane, and then it linguistically evolved into the term boucanier. The Spanish also adopted the cooking tradition; but, they called it barbacoa, which, in English, is barbeque.
So, I think that in order to really respect their pyrate namesakes, the Tampa Bay Buccaneers need to add a boucan pit to their stadium which should absolutely serve the most delicious barbeque available in that area, right? Right.
And thanks to the boucan tradition, I have some REALLY good news: The next time you want to have an authentic pyrate party, dinner, and/or feast, you are not limited to moldy bread, salted meat, and peas. Oh no, my pyrate brethern! Carrying on the pyrate tradition in your own home, with your own pyrate gang, can be done in delicious boucan fashion:
Start with the meat (no need to go hunting, unless you just want the full experience): Pork, (my crewe prefers port tenderloin), venison, or beef.
Get your grill or smoker heated up and ready to go. (No need to build a boucan; a modern charcoal grill or smoker will do just fine.)
Disclaimer: I have never – and don’t really like – smoked meat. If you want to smoke your meat, I can’t help ya. I have also never grilled fish – I need to learn – so I can’t help ya with that either. Ask around.
These days, you can get yourself a boucan glaze for your meat. I have used Captain Rodney’s and can attest that it is tasty: sweet with just a wee little spicy bite. The bottle is also a very cool design and makes for good reuse as a pyrate grog bottle.
I have not used any modern BBQ sauces, but I am told that BOUCAN BBQ, (pictured below) is delicious. Let me know if you’ve tried it…
Cook or smoke your glazed meat until tender, (will vary based on size of meat – but we are talking hours – we slow cook pork quite often at our pyrate hideout and it usually takes 4 – 6 hours).
When the meat is done, break open the rum, ale, grog barrels, and commence to feast!
Oh, and if call yourself a pyrate but you’re NOT pulling for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in the playoffs, are you really a pyrate?
Are. You?
Yo Ho, my Hearties, Yo Ho!
Virginia Chandler 