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Roast is a term used in a number of contexts.
Cooking
Any piece of meat that has been cooked by dry heat, meaning the application of heated air only, is called a roast. Traditionally, the recognized roasting methods are only baking and cooking over or near an open fire. Grilling is normally not technically a roast, since grilled meat is usually seasoned with wet ingredients or marinated. Smoking is not roasting because of the lower heat and controlled smoke application. True roasts are literally meat and fire.
Most roasts are large cuts of meat, and have to cook for a long time. This meat may be moved during cooking, as on a spit or rotisserie, or roasted in place.
Roasting is a preferred method of cooking for most poultry, and certain cuts of beef, pork, or lamb. Some vegetables, such as potatoes,cauliflower, and peppers lend themselves to roasting as well.
Comedy
In this context, "roasting" an individual consists of publicly bearing insults, praise, outlandish true and untrue stories, and heartwarming tributes. It is seen as a great honor to be roasted, as you are surrounded by friends, fans, and well-wishers, who can receive some of the same treatment as well during the course of the evening. The party and presentation itself are called the "roast".
The Friars Club have held celebrity roasts in private since the 1920s. Only recently has the public been invited to see them. Dean Martin hosted a series of roasts on television during the 1960s and 1970s. The humor at these broadcast tributes was far tamer than the sometimes extremely vulgar and explicit language of the private, non-televised ones.
Many other organizations hold roasts now, mostly in private. But the overall tone of any true roast is supposed to be admiration and congratulations.
Anyone who is honored in such a way is said to have been "roasted".
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