On this Wikipedia the language links are at the top of the page across from the article title. Some place the origin of barbecue sauce at the formation of the first American colonies in the 17th century. References to the sauce start occurring in both English and French bbq salads over the next two hundred years.
Early homemade barbecue sauces were made with vinegar, salt, and pepper. Sugar, ketchup, and Worcestershire sauce started to be used in the 1920s, but after World War II, the quantity of sugar and the number of ingredients increased dramatically. The Georgia Barbecue Sauce Company of Atlanta advertised an early commercially produced barbecue sauce in 1909. Heinz was the first major company to sell bottled barbecue sauce in 1940.
Different geographical regions have allegiances to their particular styles and variations of barbecue sauce. Most American barbecue sauces can trace their roots to a sauce common in the eastern regions of North Carolina and South Carolina. In Lexington and the Piedmont areas of western North Carolina, the sauce is often called a dip. It is similar to the East Carolina Sauce with the addition of tomato paste, tomato sauce, or ketchup. Part of South Carolina is known for its yellow barbecue sauces made primarily of yellow mustard, vinegar, sugar and spices.
Similar to the Western Carolina style, but using molasses as a sweetener and with additional spices. It is usually served as a dipping sauce, as Memphis-style barbecue is typically a dry rub. Thick, reddish-brown, tomato-based, and made with sugar, vinegar, and spices. It evolved from the Western Carolina and Memphis style sauces but is thicker and sweeter and does not penetrate the meat as much as it sits on the surface.
Typical commercial barbecue sauce is based on the Kansas City style. In some of the older, more traditional restaurants, the sauces are heavily seasoned with cumin, chili peppers or chili powder, black pepper, and fresh onion, while using less tomato and sugar. North Alabama is known for its distinctive white sauce, a mayonnaise-based sauce that also includes apple cider vinegar, sugar, salt, and black pepper, which is used predominantly on chicken and pork. North Carolina Barbecue: Flavored by Time. A Very Brief History of the Four Types of Barbeque Found In the USA”.
Barbecue: The History of an American Institution. The Great Barbecue Companion: Mops, Sops, Sauces, and Rubs. Tuscaloosa, AL: University of Alabama Press. Eastern NC barbecue is healthier than western”. Cooking With Fire: Alabama White Sauce, KMUW 89. 1 Wichita Public Radio, Wichita, KS.