' () is the technique and the social event of having or attending a barbecue in various

South American South America is a continent entirely in the Western Hemisphere and mostly in the Southern Hemisphere, with a relatively small portion in the Northern Hemisphere at the northern tip of the continent. It can also be described as the southe ...

countries, especially

Argentina Argentina (), officially the Argentine Republic ( es, link=no, República Argentina), is a country in the southern half of South America. Argentina covers an area of , making it the second-largest country in South America after Brazil, th ...

Chile Chile, officially the Republic of Chile, is a country in the western part of South America. It is the southernmost country in the world, and the closest to Antarctica, occupying a long and narrow strip of land between the Andes to the east a ...

Paraguay Paraguay (; ), officially the Republic of Paraguay ( es, República del Paraguay, links=no; gn, Tavakuairetã Paraguái, links=si), is a landlocked country in South America. It is bordered by Argentina to the south and southwest, Brazil to th ...

and

Uruguay Uruguay (; ), officially the Oriental Republic of Uruguay ( es, República Oriental del Uruguay), is a country in South America. It shares borders with Argentina to its west and southwest and Brazil to its north and northeast; while bordering ...

where it is also a traditional event. An ''asado'' usually consists of

beef Beef is the culinary name for meat from cattle (''Bos taurus''). In prehistoric times, humankind hunted aurochs and later domesticated them. Since that time, numerous breeds of cattle have been bred specifically for the quality or quantit ...

pork Pork is the culinary name for the meat of the domestic pig (''Sus domesticus''). It is the most commonly consumed meat worldwide, with evidence of pig husbandry dating back to 5000 BCE. Pork is eaten both freshly cooked and preserved; ...

chicken The chicken (''Gallus gallus domesticus'') is a domesticated junglefowl species, with attributes of wild species such as the grey and the Ceylon junglefowl that are originally from Southeastern Asia. Rooster or cock is a term for an adu ...

, , and which are cooked on a grill, called a ''parrilla'', or an open fire. Generally the meats are accompanied by red wine and

salad A salad is a dish consisting of mixed, mostly natural ingredients with at least one raw ingredient. They are typically served at room temperature or chilled, though some can be served warm. Condiments and salad dressings, which exist in a va ...

s. This meat is prepared by a person who is the assigned ''asador'' or ''parrillero''.

History

Large herds of wild cattle roamed much of the pampa region of Argentina until the mid-nineteenth century. Inhabitants of the Río de la Plata, especially the equestrian

gaucho A gaucho () or gaúcho () is a skilled horseman, reputed to be brave and unruly. The figure of the gaucho is a folk symbol of Argentina, Uruguay, Rio Grande do Sul in Brazil, and the south of Chilean Patagonia. Gauchos became greatly admired and ...

, developed a fondness for beef, especially asado, which is roasted beef (or lamb or goat). The meat, often a side of ribs, is skewered on a metal frame called an asador and is roasted by placing it next to a slow-burning fire. Gauchos favored cooking asado with the wood of the quebracho tree because it smokes very little. Asado, accompanied by mate, formed the basis of the gaucho diet.

Coal and fire

Usually the ''asador'' begins by igniting the charcoal, which is often made of native trees, avoiding pines and eucalyptus as they have strong-smelling resins. In more sophisticated ''asados'' the charcoal is of a specific tree or made on the coal of recently burned wood, which is also commonplace when having an ''asado'' in a campfire. In Uruguay, charcoal is not used, but instead direct embers or hot coals. Cooking can be done ''al asador'' or ''a la parrilla''. In the first case, a fire is lit on the ground or in a fire pit and surrounded by metal crosses (''asadores'') that hold the entire carcass of an animal splayed open to receive the heat from the fire. In the second case, a fire is made and after the charcoal has formed, a grill with the meat is placed over it.

Embutidos and achuras

In many ''asados'', '' chorizos'', ''morcillas'' (

black pudding , type = , course = , place_of_origin = Great Britain and Ireland , region =England, Ireland, Scotland , associated_cuisine = United Kingdom and Ireland , creator = , year = , mintime = , maxtime = , served = Hot, occasionally ...

), ''chinchulines'' (cow chitterlings), ''mollejas'' (

sweetbread Sweetbread is a culinary name for the thymus (also called throat, gullet, or neck sweetbread) or pancreas (also called stomach, belly or gut sweetbread), typically from calf (french: ris de veau, es, hígado) or lamb (). Sweetbreads have a ri ...

s), and other organs, often accompanied by ''

provoleta Provoleta is an Argentine variant of provolone cheese described as "Argentine pulled-curd Provolone cheese". It is eaten grilled in Argentina and Uruguay. It can be made on a grill, or indoors in a cast-iron pan. The cheese should be firm and abl ...

'', would be served first while the cuts that require longer preparations are still on the grill. Sometimes these are served on a charcoal ''

brasero Brasero may refer to: * Brasero (heater), a heater or an oven * Brasero (software), CD/DVD-burning software for Linux See also * Bracero program {{disambig