From Argentina to South Korea: see the best barbecues in the world

Americans are, perhaps, the “barbecue” standard bearers . Backyards and parks across the United States are full of people gathered around chicken and other meats covered in sauce.

But as famous as America's grilling skills are, many would say they don't compare to America's meat-charring culture. Argentina or South Africa for example.

Barbecue, as we know it today, encompasses several cooking methods: on grills, above open fires, underground and in clay ovens. There are regional variations and customs in destinations from South America to Africa and Asia.

Read on for more proof that the mouthwatering barbecue experience is a universal tradition, not just an American one.

Braai (South Africa)

Here, the frequent gathering of friends and family around succulent, grilled cuts of steak, sausage, and chicken sosaties (skewers) crosses all racial and socioeconomic lines.

And nowhere does “Sunday Funday” like the townships, where shisa nyama (“burnt meat” in Zulu) places elevate the braai experience with butchers, cooks, drinks and DJs livening up the party on site. Chicago native and model Unique Love spent three years living in Cape Town and fondly remembers her first shisa nyama.

“Having a braai at Mzoli's Meat in Cape Town was like being at home,” she says. “After eating, I never wanted [sair] because the community atmosphere was comforting.”

Asado (Argentina)

Although its place as the world's largest beef consumer fluctuates from year to year, many would say that Argentina will forever be the grande dame of grilled meats. Like South Africa's braai culture, Argentina's affinity for the grill is more ingrained than in the United States.

Participating in a sociable, stomach-bursting asado (“barbecue”) on an almost weekly basis is the norm.

Although a variety of meats and cuts can be tried at any gathering, Argentinian Guillermo Pernot, chef-partner at Cuba Libre Restaurant & Rum Bar, insists: “For the best asado, you should cook a sweet pork and beef sausage. , gizzards, thigh intestines and blood sausages.”

Other asado tips from the two-time James Beard Award winner include using coarse salt to coat meats and having the “indispensable” chimichurri — a sauce and marinade that usually consists of parsley, garlic, oregano, vinegar and chili flakes — on hand.

Yaiktori (Japan)

Yakitori, a favorite in Japan, consists of diced chicken mounted on bamboo skewers and cooked over a steaming bed of charcoal. Yakitori variations are labeled by chicken parts (strips of chicken skin make up “towikawa” and “negima” consists of thigh meat with leeks).

Its definition has expanded to include any grilled and skewered food, including vegetables, seafood, pork, and beef. While there are several ways to enjoy authentic yakitori in Japan, travel blogger Tanya Spaulding shares her tips for making the most of it.

“The best way to enjoy yakitori is with a street vendor or sitting on the floor in your yukata (a kind of summer kimono), roasting your skewers over the shichirin (a small charcoal grill) in the middle of the table,” she says. states.

Barbecue (Brazil)

Most visitors to Brazil will experience barbecue at a steakhouse, where waiters deliver an endless supply of grilled cuts of meat directly to diners' tables. While Brazilian barbecue may be the most famous, it is found in several other countries, including Bolivia, Ecuador, Guatemala and Portugal.

Dan Clarke, director of RealWorld Holidays, who frequents South America, believes Brazilian barbecues offer more options for vegetarians than neighboring meat-loving Argentina.

“In an Argentine asado, you're really stuck with the salad and fries,” he says. “But it's much better in Brazil because most steakhouses have a salad buffet with dozens of types of fresh salads, pasta salads, pickles, breads, olives and all the other sides you could want.”

Lechon (Philippines)

Lechon (Spanish for “suckling pig”) has a whole impaled pig roasted on a spit over a bed of charcoal or in an oven. Many Filipinos declare the tasty pork treat to be their national dish, although the same claim is made by Puerto Ricans.

The lechon cooked on the Philippine island of Cebu is often considered the best in the country, if not the world.

Fun fact: Every June 24 in Balayan, Philippines, locals pay special religious-themed homage to the roast pig in the Parada ng Lechon (Skewer Roast Pig Parade).

It involves lechons being blessed at a church service, followed by a lively parade of floats, music, water pistols (for baptism), and lechons “dressed up” in extravagant clothes and accessories.

Tandoor (India)

It's true: That iconic Indian tandoori chicken you've known (and maybe loved) for centuries has been considered a barbecue dish. Tandoori food derives its name from the tandoor, the cauldron-like clay oven in which dishes such as naan bread, chicken, seafood and other meats are cooked under high-temperature charcoal.

“The art of tandoor originated centuries ago as a nomadic style of cooking in Central Asia [onde] food was cooked over charcoal fires and meat was roasted on spits,” says Manjit Gill, corporate chef at ITC Hotels and a famous Indian cook behind several acclaimed restaurants, including Bukhara in New Delhi.

“Tandoori cooking as we know it today was introduced in the late 1940s in post-partition India, when people discovered it was a better way to cook meat in a tandoor than on a skewer.”

Mongolian barbecue (Taiwan)

“Surprisingly, despite the name, Taiwan is the origin of Mongolian barbecue,” reveals travel enthusiast and native Taiwanese Erin Yang. “[Ele] consists of a combination of sliced ​​meat, noodles and vegetables quickly cooked on a flat circular metal surface.”

Mongolian barbecue is a relatively new food trend, emerging in Taiwan in the 1950s, influenced by Japanese teppanyaki and Chinese stir-fry. It is also popular in certain regions of China.

Beijing-based travel and food blogger Monica Weintraub says beef and lamb are very popular in the north of the country. “Whether you're sharing a leg of lamb among four or five friends or ordering individual lamb kebabs (yang rou chuan), expect to consume meat heavily seasoned with chili powder, cumin seeds and salt,” she says.

Lovo (Fiji)

Fiji's barbecue tradition has a more underground approach compared to other nations. Erin Yang explains: “Unlike many other styles of barbecue, Fijian barbecue is cooked in a 'lovo,' an earth oven.”

Lovo involves very hot stones placed in a large opening in the ground to allow slow smoky cooking.

“Ingredients such as pork, chicken, vegetables, taro root and seafood are wrapped in taro or banana leaves and placed on the stones,” says Yang. “After 2 to 3 hours, the tasty lovo will be ready to serve.”

The discovery of the smoked food in the pit is greeted with jubilation by the guests, perhaps due to the long wait for the cooking to be completed.

Umu (Samoa)

Umu, Samoa's version of barbecue, is similar to the underground culinary customs of Fiji's lovo. Avichai Ben Tzur, a travel writer/entrepreneur who has spent a significant amount of time in the South Pacific, describes barbecue prep work as a family chore.

“The young people of the extended Samoan family gather to prepare the 'umu', hours before the traditional Sunday feast begins… catching fresh fish or butchering a pig, collecting taro leaves and breadfruit from the family's farm plot, and cracking coconuts for the palusami.”

Palusami, a Samoan staple made from coconut cream (often seasoned with onion, lemon juice, and simple seasonings) wrapped in taro leaves, is “a delicious calorie bomb that Samoans can't resist,” says Tzur.

Gogigui (Korean Peninsula)

Gogigui (Korean for “beef roast”) is a favorite of both Korean and international eaters.

Dinner at a Korean barbecue usually consists of sliced ​​beef, pork and chicken with a variety of banchan (side dishes) and rice cooked in the center of a table, which is prepared by the chefs or the diners themselves.

If you decide to cook your own gogigui, Masterchef Korea finalist Diane Sooyeon Kang shares some tips. “For thinly sliced ​​meat like chadolbaegi (thinly sliced ​​beef brisket), you want to lay it flat and cook it quickly for a few seconds on each side,” she says.

“For meats like yangnyeom galbi (marinated short rib), high heat and heat will be best as it will caramelize the outside while keeping the meat juicy on the inside.”

Jessica Mehta, who has lived in Korea for a year, suggests: “You're not really eating Korean barbecue if you don't pair it with soju, a clear liquor somewhat similar to sake.”

Pachamanca (Peru)

Although Peruvian cuisine is known around the world for its ceviche and pisco sour cocktails, one of Peru's most traditional Inca culinary customs, pachamanca, is still off the radar of many.

Pachamanca (meaning “earth pot” in the Quechua language) involves digging to create a floor oven and lining the cavity with stones heated over a fire to cook the food. A variety of potatoes, corn, vegetables and marinated meats are wrapped in banana leaves and placed in the earth oven for hours.

Authentic pachamanca is served sitting on the ground and occurs mainly on special occasions (especially religious ceremonies) and during the harvest season, every February and March.