READ THE ARTICLE BELOW AND ANSWER ALL THE QUESTIONS THAT FOLLOW. How Nando's Champions South African Culture And Cuisine ASK ANY BRIT what their favorite takeaway spot is and they're sure to mention Nando's. Ask them about the origins of Nando's menu, and they'll probably say Portugal. It's a reasonable answer. Its logo is the Rooster of Barcelos, a famous Portuguese symbol. The food is seasoned with Portuguese spices and Portuguese bread rolls are among the restaurant's many sides. However, to label Nando's a product of Portugal isn't strictly true. Nando's was in fact born in Johannesburg, South Africa, making this beloved fast-casual spot a mashup between Portuguese and African cuisines. Here's everything you need to know about the origins of Nando's, and its effort to celebrate and support South Africa. Peri-peri chicken in particular has sparked much debate over its origins. Some say that the Portugese brought the African bird's-eye chilli, or peri-peri pepper, to Mozambique from Brazil. Others say it actually first discovered in Zambia and Zimbabwe and brought back to Portugal. While we may never know the exact origin of this spicy capsicum, we do know that it flourishes in a Mozambican climate and is an integral part of African cooking. Peri-peri chicken does not only predate Nando's, it is the reason that Nando's exists. It is a dish that is neither intrinsically Portuguese nor African yet its significance in both cultures is undeniable. The story of peri-peri chicken's global takeover begins with two friends looking for a bite to eat. Back in 1987, two pals visited Chickenland, a so-called "dodgy" takeaway spot in the Johannesburg suburb of Rosettenville. At that time, South Africa was deeply segregated and it was not common for non-Portuguese people to visit this neighborhood. Mozambique-born Fernando Duarte (who is white) introduced his friend, Robert Brozin, a Jewish South African man, to the delights of Portuguese cuisine and Brozin soon fell in love. Brozin became obsessed with the combination of chicken marinated in peri-peri sauce at Chickenland and knew that the world had to taste this glorious dish. Eventually, Brozin and Duarte bought the little restaurant and renamed it Nando's, after Fernando's first-born son. In 1993 the Nando's chain expanded to the UK and as of 2017, there are over 1,000 Nando's locations in 35 countries. Nando's became a celebration of both the Afro-Portuguese community and of South Africa as a whole.\f\f\f