The Asociación Peruana de Avicultura (Peruvian Association of Poultry Farming) estimates that more than 155 million pollos a la brasa are consumed annually in Peru. Maestros polleros, or poultry masters, grillroast the extraordinarily popular birds on rotisseries that spin lazily over crackling wood fires (“brasa” means “ember”) to produce meat that’s encased in tawny, paper-thin skin and dripping with juices. Served with a pile of crispy french fries, a simple green salad, and an array of peppy ají (chile) sauces, the flavor-packed, satisfying dish has been central to the country’s dining scene for decades.
It’s been given its own national holiday, Día del Pollo a la Brasa, on the third Sunday of every July.
It all began in the 1940s when Swiss migrant Roger Schuler needed a way to rescue his bankrupt poultry farm on the outskirts of Lima, Peru. To attract customers, he set up a roadside stand peddling all-you-can-eat chicken that he’d skewered on a thick iron spit rod and roasted over an algarrobina (black carob) fire. The
