Meaning
In rural Jamaica, a large flat platform of concrete or stone built in the open for drying crops in the sun — coffee beans, pimento, cocoa, and ginger are spread out on the barbecue to dry. A false friend for visitors: here 'barbecue' is a drying floor, not a grill for cooking meat.
Examples
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Spread di coffee pon di barbecue fi dry.
Spread the coffee on the drying floor to dry.
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Di pimento a dry pon di barbecue inna di sun.
The pimento is drying on the drying platform in the sun.
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Rake di cocoa pon di barbecue.
Rake the cocoa on the drying floor.
Origin
From the Taíno 'barbacoa' (a wooden frame/platform); in Jamaica the sun-drying floor for crops. See [[cocoa]], [[pimento]].
How it’s used
A flat sun-drying platform for coffee/pimento/cocoa — NOT a meat grill. A false friend. See [[cocoa]], [[pimento]].