Why White Bread Is A Barbecue Staple

Barbecue is famous for its controversial nature — everyone has strong opinions on everything from barbecue sauce ingredients to meat cuts to wood variety. Adding fuel to the fire, the sides can be just as exciting, and polarizing, as the main attraction. Whether you prefer creamy mac and cheese, tangy slaw, or savory-sweet corn muffins, there's plenty to love and argue over. But one classic barbecue side dish is just as boring as it is divisive: white bread.

White bread may seem out of place among the wealth of juicy brisket, hand-pulled pork, and scratch-made side dishes. But, as with all things barbecue, it's rooted in tradition. Some say that white bread, along with pickles and onions, has long acted as a cheap way to supplement expensive proteins and give the appearance of more food. Others suggest it's meant to act as a sort of edible napkin or landing pad for all that juicy meat, or even as a makeshift utensil for scooping up saucy deliciousness. And, in classic barbecue fashion, serving white bread with barbecue is either indispensable or reprehensible depending on who you ask.

There's no one clear answer as to when, where, and why people started serving white bread with barbecue, but most experts agree that the practice originated in Texas (where it remains most prevalent to this day). The tradition of Texas barbecue is rooted in hundreds of years of Black culinary history, but the addition of white bread is more recent. As legend has it, butchers started selling barbecue as a side hustle in the late 1800s. Because the butchers usually didn't offer side dishes, customers would complete their spreads with easily purchased, shelf-stable accompaniments such as white bread and pickles.

White bread can also be traced back to the tradition of public barbecues, with accounts of white bread and pickles being served at public barbecues nearing 1900. Cooking large portions of meat outside was (and is) a great way to feed a crowd, and one can imagine it was quite convenient to pick up a couple dozen loaves of white bread and a few jars of pickles to round out the feast.

The historical explanations for serving white bread with barbecue make total sense, but why is it still popular today? Most barbecue spots offer a plethora of delicious sides that sound a lot more appealing, and honestly, outside of Texas, many people would be disappointed to find white bread on their barbecue platter. Why waste precious stomach space on something you could buy at any grocery store? But some argue that white bread isn't just convenient and cheap, it's a necessary and delicious barbecue side.

Some internet commenters have suggested that white bread is ideal for soaking up all that saucy deliciousness without distracting from the tasty meat, and can even be used to make open-face sandwiches or as a sausage bun (it should be noted that sausage is also a traditional component of Texas barbecue). On the other hand, some have posited that serving white bread with barbecue is an outdated practice and adds nothing to the meal. But honestly, would it even be a barbecue tradition if there wasn't heated discourse around it? One thing is clear: White bread has been an essential part of Texas barbecue culture for over a century, and it's unlikely to go anywhere anytime soon.