When the story of PERi-PERi began, no-one is really sure. What we do know, is where it started. It was under the hot sun in the rich, fertile soils of Southern Africa, that the African Bird’s Eye Chillies – better known as PERi-PERi – thrived and ripened.
Used for centuries in local cooking, people from far and wide fell for the full-bodied flavour of these chillies. The Portuguese explorers were no different, and when they arrived in Mozambique centuries ago, they added a twist of lemon and a touch of garlic to create the first PERi-PERi sauce. They used it on just about anything, but especially as a basting for chargrilled chicken.
PERi-PERi recipes became fiercely guarded family secrets, handed down from generation to generation. Fortunately, what was never protected was the Portuguese love of good food, sharing and laughter. That’s how two friends in Johannesburg came to experience the extraordinary taste of PERi-PERi chicken. It so inspired them, they knew it had to be shared and Nando’s was born.
We get our chickens locally, delivered fresh and never frozen with excess fat already trimmed off. We then marinate them in a sauce that contains no preservatives, colourants or artificial flavours for 24-hours so that the flavour goes right through to the bone. Finally flame-grilling reduces the fat content even further and regular basting with Nando’s PERi-PERi sauce keeps the chicken succulent and tender.
Our passion for good food doesn’t stop there. We spend hours in our test kitchens exploring ways to improve our recipes – be it in the way our food is prepared, or the way in which it is served.
