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Fahrenheit 370

Part I

By Ezio Neyra
Translated by Diana P. Olano

More than 50 years ago, a pair of Swiss invented a culinary specialty, which the National Cultural Institute of Peru recognized as an official part of Peru's cultural heritage in 2004. If we had to redesign the national emblem, pollo a la brasa would have to be included, along with the emblematic image of Sarita Colonia and a glass of Pisco Sour.

Which is the only animal that keeps turning even after death? This is a peculiar cooking process in which strung-together chickens spin and spin, suspended above a rug of carbon charcoal until the temperature reaches 370 degrees Fahrenheit. The system has different names: "spiedo", "planetario" or "rotombo".

Pollo a la brasa is also characterized by its special dressing and baroqueness—according to one of our most distinguished chefs, Peruvian cuisine is clearly "barroca". To season the chicken and hang it for various hours (between two and six hours, depending on the restaurant) before browning to display it in the brazier.. Well, all proud "pollerias" (locales selling pollo a la brasa) should exhibit their chicken in a glass display.

Basically, it's about a chicken without entrails, but always with skin, which soaks in a marinade that includes diverse ingredients, whose proportions vary according to the secret recipe of each establishment. Aside from the distinct touch each one gives—some places add a bit of pisco—this marinade is composed of black beer, ají panca, soy sauce, romero, cumin, salt and pepper. The marinated chicken is placed, finally, in rotating skewers over the brazier.

The garnish is also essential. Pollo a la brasa is always served with an abundance of french fries (never with rice) and a simple salad based on lettuce. Each establishment, however, chooses what vegetables accompany the salad. And, of course, the pollo is followed by a drink of "national flavor", chilled and waiting at the side.

Numbers talk

According to a recent study of merchandising composed by the Arellano Marketing Investigación y Consultoría company, the Peruvian consumer defines his or herself by three characteristics: they sigh for sad songs (yes, those of Radio Felicidad and La Inolvidable); they are a fan of Alianza Lima; and they are crazy for pollo a la brasa.

Other studies show that 95% of Peruvians would choose a pollería before choosing a chifa or a cevicheria when deciding on lunch with work colleagues or a Sunday family-outing. Also, 45% visit a polleria weekly and 9 out of 10 Peruvians frequently eat pollo a la brasa. Only in Lima are there more than a thousand restaurants dedicated to solely serving this dish. And some say, the district most "pollero" is San Juan de Lurigancho, with nothing less than 91 pollerias.

Pollo a la brasa is also sold past our borders. The chain Pardo's Chicken has two branches in Chile and New York, and will open another in Miami. Their pollo a la brasa is called "Pardo's brasa". On their end, the well-established Rocky's operates in Brazil and Bolivia, while Norky's has reached Ecuador. The polleria La Caranava—the first Peruvian franchise in the United States—has a locale in Los Angeles and another in Miami. New York has also surrendered to the browned skin and savory meats of these birds. Pollo a la brasa is also one of the most popular dishes amongst the colony of Peruvian immigrants in Japan. From Tokyo to Okinawa, there are at least 200 restaurants whose specialty is this icon that is nationally loved.

Savory Tradition

 Its undeniable success can be explained because it's a tasty dish, moderately priced, and on top of that, a dish you can share. From its origins, the chicken was served whole so that each dinner guest could cut it up in fours. The fries were served on a platter so they could be shared, but only at the discretion of the head of the family. Some locales maintain that tradition, but serving the chicken in ¼'s still dominates the polleria scene.

This dish holds such an important part in our hearts and stomachs that in many cities in the interior, it's consumption is associated with a certain memory. The situation is similar to the one we lived in in Lima during the late 80's, before the dish reached the popularity it has today. It isn't an every day, nor is it a homemade one—no household kitchen has a machine with rotating skewers. Really, it's a party dish, for social events; a Sunday delicacy.

Pollo a la brasa has been practically elevated to such a level that describes it as a symbol of Peruvianism; a symbol, not official, but because of this, much more powerful than those which are because it hasn't been instituted by any decree. Instead, it has be consegrated by the masses. Just like Sarita Colonia, it has worked its way to the top. Thanks to its popularity, and in response to the demands of various restaurants led by La Caravana, the National Institute of Culture, by means of Resolución Directoral Nº 1066 of October 14, 2004, declared pollo a la brasa as a an official part of Peru's cultural heritage.

And man created the machine

In spite of the importance of the seasoning and the garnish of abundant, crispy french fries with a salad, pollo a la brasa wouldn't exist without the machine that allows the even cooking of various birds at the same time in the brazier. A rudimentary system was already utilized by the Greeks—however, the skewers were turned by hand—and it was recently in the XIX century that a machine of strings was invented to minimize human labor. However, for reasons unknown, the invention was soon forgotten about.

A century later, two Swiss men living in Peru—Roger Schuler and Franz Ulrich—resurrected the machine and perfected it...


Add a comment :
8 comments

tracy says :
8-11-07,03:51:46

This article maks me want to go back to Lima and eat a delicious "Pollo a la Brasa" .

Yanina says :
9-11-07,09:22:58

Great article!! if there is something tha I miss the most from Peru...is pollo a la brasa. A very simple dish but full of memories of good times with family and friends.

Jorge Panizo Soler says :
10-11-07,11:18:17

Pollo a la brasa is a symbol of Peruanidad , and is an important part of our great gastronomy.  There are products which resume our peruvian essence as : Panetòn ( Fruited Cake), Turròn de Doña Pepa, Tejas and Chocotejas, Peccanrolls, Chocolate and Pisco Liquor ( Helena), Issac Kola ( of the original formula).
Some products have trascended frontiers, the Helena Chocolates line of Tejas and Chocotejas elevate the prestige of our country being served on first class flights of American Airlines, from Lima to Miami, Miami to Brazil, various cities of USA to Europe, and they have been referred by the AA web page as the most delicious chocolates of South America.
Our traditional grape liquor Pisco, speaks for itself, even chileans admit  no comparison between the taste of their drink versus Pisco.

KISOKA says :
11-12-07,03:07:38

Do you know wher I can buy that Electric Rotisserie Chicken for Pollo a la brasa here in America/USA?
Please, let me know! I really want to buy one.

KISOKA says :
11-12-07,03:23:48

Are Sirs Roger Schuler and Franz Ultrich, the resurectors of the Pollo a la brsa machine, still alive?
If yes, do you know how I can contact them or their company, if they had one?

Thanks a lot for your help,

Kisoka

Luis Romero says :
30-12-07,11:01:56

Hi Kisoka,

I really don't if they are still alive, but if you want to know, you should contact their restaurant "La Granja Azul" in Lima - Peru:

+51 1 35 0082

Blanca Alcalde says :
27-02-08,10:02:30

Hi!  Soy Peruana, Profesora,  resido en el Condado de Browad al norte de Miami Florida por 12 anos, tengo un sueno, el de establecer una polleria como "La Granja Azul" con su estilo y sabor. Existe alguna posibilidad de colocar una cadena aqui en este pais?

Manuel Mariaca says :
3-11-08,06:03:32

The only mistake is that not all lovers of the delicious Pollo a la Brasa are fans of Alianza, most of them are fans of Universitario.



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