Nando's...

… short for Fernando’s, is a Portuguese-themed chain of restaurants, which is famous for its peri-peri type of chicken.

Legend has it that when the Portuguese set out to India by sailing all along the African coast, they camped in a place near Mozambique. The sun, the sand and the tropical weather caught their fancy, and they set up base here. And to add to their pomp and gaiety, they developed a fancy for the local spice – pili-pili, which they called peri-peri.

Such were the old settlers enamoured by Peri-peri that it finds its way into their menu, their food, and their way of life. They like to believe that ex’peri-peri’menting and ex’peri-peri’encing are the only way to live life. The cuisine here is mostly chicken - not surprising, because its best selling item is the chicken itself. They cook the chicken in a unique way, laying it flat on an open fire grill – much like our tandoor – which gives it a smoky taste when eaten.

You do get veggie items – but there is a limited choice – like the pitta, for example. A simple veggie pitta is not very different from our Big Mac when eaten. To the eyes, however it looks like the filling is enclosed in two thick chapattis and sealed all around. A typical veggie pitta, with chips and spicy rice, looks like this.


The food here goes very well with Sangria. Sangria is basically a light wine punch – a dominant red wine, which is then spiked with sweeteners like honey or orange juice, and has fruits in it. Subtle variations of fruit and sweeteners have given rise to a variety of drinks, but they are all called Sangria in general.

For more stories on the Peri-Peri Life and the legend of the Barcelos Cockerel, click here.