KEY POINTS:
Auckland immigrants tell the secrets of their homeland barbecue
* * *
A rogue group of gauchos (cowboys) roam the plains of Brazil, slaughtering cattle for their dinner and cooking the beasts on large stakes next to a roaring fire: this is the history of the traditional Brazilian
barbecue, the churrasco.
Cristiana Herrmann, 35, from the southern state of Rio Grande do Sul (the home of the gauchos and barbecue), says the nature of the barbecue in modern Brazil harks back to this history.
"Gauchos would just go and kill cows around the countryside. So barbecue is very brutal, but very natural. It's just meat and fire and that's it."
In the gaucho days of barbecue, large pieces of meat would be skewered on sharp, sword-like iron rods (called espeto), which would then be stuck into the earth next to a wood-fire.
Barbecues in southern Brazil still use the espeto, but most people have a brick barbecue, called a churrasqueira, in their backyard, or even indoors inside their apartment.
The churrasqueira has a pit inside to burn wood or charcoal, and an opening for the smoke and heat to come up through.
Instead of a grill over the opening, the espeto fit into holes, like large kebabs, and can be lowered or raised depending on how much heat is needed.
Having a barbecue in Brazil is an extended social occasion.
"The whole thing starts at the supermarket. Everybody goes together, and picks the meat," says Herrmann's friend Patricia Puperi.
"Here you guys like to cook everything, and serve everything right away," continues Herrmann.
"But for us, it starts with the chicken hearts and everybody will gather round the table and eat them. Then the sausage. Sometimes you are eating for three, or four, hours. It's not just to eat, it's to sit around the table and have a conversation."
A common churrasco delicacy is chicken hearts, which are placed on a thinner espeto to be cooked. There are also side dishes - a manioc flour called farofa, and potato salad with home-made mayonnaise.
Barbecued chicken hearts
Clean the chicken hearts by slicing off any fat and veins around them.
Squeeze gently to get rid of any blood inside the veins.
Crush garlic and rock salt together to make a paste.
Put hearts in a bowl with the garlic paste.
Add sliced salvia (a herb, or else use chopped sage or bayleaf), a little bit of vinegar or white wine, and some olive oil.
Marinate for 30-60 minutes.
Place on espeto, and barbecue.