Pollo a la brasa facts for kids
"Un cuarto" (literally "one fourth") serving of pollo a la Brasa, accompanied with french fries and a fresh salad
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| Alternative names | Blackened chicken |
|---|---|
| Type | Rotisserie chicken dish |
| Associated national cuisine | Peru |
| Created by | Roger Schuler and Franz Ulrich |
| Invented | 1950s |
| Main ingredients | Chicken |
| Ingredients generally used | Salt |
| Similar dishes | Pollo al spiedo |
Pollo a la brasa is a super popular rotisserie chicken dish from Peru. You might also hear it called pollo asado, blackened chicken, or charcoal chicken. It's a national favorite in Peru!
This tasty chicken dish was first created in Peru in the 1950s. It was developed by people who had moved there from Switzerland. At first, you could only find it in fancy restaurants. But now, it's a dish enjoyed by everyone, everywhere.
The original recipe was simple. It was chicken cooked on a spinning spit over charcoal, seasoned only with salt. It came with lots of french fries. People traditionally ate it with their fingers! Today, chefs use more spices to make it even more flavorful. You can also eat it with a fork and knife if you prefer. Pollo a la brasa is almost always served with creamy sauces. A very common one is a spicy sauce called ají.
This Peruvian dish has become famous around the world. In 2013, Peruvian food was even named one of the top cuisines to become popular in the United States. Pollo a la brasa is now a main dish in many Peruvian restaurants globally. It's so loved in Peru that people eat it about three times a month. Restaurants that serve this chicken make up a big part of the fast food scene there.
Contents
How Pollo a la Brasa Started
The story of Pollo a la brasa began in 1950. A man named Roger Schuler, who was from Switzerland, created the dish. He lived in Chaclacayo, a town near Lima, Peru. Roger Schuler had moved around a lot during World War II. He worked in hotels and restaurants in Chile and Peru.
The First Restaurant
Schuler watched his cook prepare chicken. He then came up with a special way to cook it. Over time, he and his business partners made the recipe perfect. They opened the first Pollo a la brasa restaurant. It was called Granja Azul and was in Santa Clara, a district of Ate, in Lima.
The Special Oven
Roger Schuler once got a very large order for his chicken. He needed to cook a lot of chicken quickly. So, he asked another Swiss immigrant for help. This person was Franz Ulrich, a metalworker. Franz Ulrich invented a special rotisserie oven. This oven could cook many chickens at once! He called his invention "El rotombo."
Evolving Flavors
The first Pollo a la brasa was seasoned only with salt. But today, the recipe includes many more spices. These often include rosemary, huacatay, black pepper, soy sauce, ají panca, and cumin. The Schuler family still owns Granja Azul and other restaurants in Peru. Franz Ulrich also continued to make his special rotisserie ovens.
See also
In Spanish: Pollo a la brasa (Perú) para niños
