The
precise origin of barbecue sauce is unclear. Some trace it to the end
of the 15th century, when Christopher Columbus brought a sauce back
from Hispaniola, while others place it at the formation of the first
American colonies in the 17th century. References to the substance
start occurring in both English and French literature over the next
two hundred years. South Carolina mustard sauce, a type of barbecue
sauce, can be traced to German settlers in the 18th century.
