North American barbeque is a grilling tradition with a rich history most often associated with the Southern United States, where it has been a staple of the region's cuisine for centuries. The tradition of barbequing meat over an open flame has been practiced by indigenous peoples in the Americas for many thousands of years, and early American settlers, immigrants and slaves introduced their own cooking techniques and recipes brought from afar.
Barbeque typically includes slow-smoked meats, such as pulled pork, brisket, and ribs, cooked over a low heat for several hours and accompanied by a wide variety of sauces and rubs. Whether you are a fan of the tangy, vinegar-based sauces of North Carolina, the mustard-based sauces of South Carolina, or the sweet and spicy sauces of Texas, there is a barbeque style and flavor for everyone. Classic barbeque is one of the most iconic and beloved foods around the world.
The history of grilling in Latin America also dates back to pre-colonial indigenous cooking methods. With the introduction of beef livestock to the Western Hemisphere around the year 1500, the contemporary traditions we know as Asado and Churrasco began. Within just a few decades, tens of millions of cattle were roaming across North, Central, and South America, from Mexico to the Pampas, a fertile grassland that encompasses modern-day Uruguay and stretches into Argentina and Brazil.
The popularity of Asado was boosted by tales of cattle-herding "gauchos," the mestizo cowboys of the Pampas, who roasted large cuts of meat, sometimes whole sides of beef, on large sword-like skewers around small open fires – and called it asado in Spanish, and churrasco in Portuguese.
Asado, the national dish of Argentina, is similarly recognized in Uruguay, Paraguay, Chile, and many other countries throughout Latin America. Meanwhile, in Brazil, churrasco and is widely considered to be the most significant national dish after feijoada.
