Origins
A centuries-old tradition from Rio Grande do Sul, in the south of Brazil.
The gauchos of the pampas
Around 1800, southern Brazil saw a wave of European immigrants. These settlers proved to be excellent horsemen and cattle farmers and soon became successful livestock traders. The women grew vegetables and fruit on the fertile soil of the pampas.
These cowboys, later called gauchos, had a unique way of cooking meat: churrasco.
Skewers beside the fire
They built a large fire and threaded different kinds of seasoned meat onto skewers, which they planted upright in the ground beside it. While the meat roasted slowly and carefully, families gathered round and told stories of their adventures on the pampas.
The gauchos turned the meat and kept carving off the outer slices, which were shared out freely along with fruit and vegetables.
The first churrascaria
Around 1900 an enterprising gaucho had the idea of turning this into a business, and the first churrascaria opened in southern Brazil. Today you will find them all over the country: they have become part of Brazilian culture.
At Fogos we keep that tradition alive: the meat turns over charcoal and our passadors carve it at your table.