Friday, August 26, 2011

Brazilian Gastronomic Expressions Pt. 2 - Frango de TV de cachorro

The Portuguese phrase "frango de TV de cachorro" is a common Brazilian way to describe a particular style of roast chicken, one that is loved by Brazilians and particularly associated with Sunday lunchtime, when untold millions of chickens are served up in this style throughout Brazil. The phrase itself means "dog TV chicken", a whimsical way to describe the cooking process.

So what's a "dog TV", then? And why would it be showing chickens? You'll need to click on the read more sign below if you want to see a photo of a dog TV and learn more about this dish.




Dog TV chicken, as you can see above, turns out to be nothing more than rotisserie-roasted chicken from one of those glass-doored vertical ovens used around the world to cook take-out chicken. You've seen dog TVs in your local supermarket, in ethnic markets and probably in mobile food trucks. You just didn't know it was a dog TV. Or at least that's what it's called in Brazil. If you haven't quite figured it out, the cartoon below might help explain the expression. The English translation is captioned below the cartoon.
"They say that if we sign up for cable we can see more than 100 types of chicken."

As connoisseur's of rotisserie chicken know, the quality of dog TV chicken varies dramatically. When it is cooked at just the right temperature and for the right amount of time it is stupendously good. When it's been left to spin for hours at a temperature that just keeps it warm, there is nothing more rubbery or less flavorful in the world. Most Brazilian families have a favorite vendor of dog TV chicken, and good purveyors will have line-ups for their chicken - particularly late on Sunday mornings when folks pick up a chicken on the way home from church to serve at the Sunday mid-day meal, the most important of the week.

In our next post, we'll post a recipe for duplicating the taste of dog TV chicken in a home kitchen - one that you can cook without having a dog TV. It's perfect for Sunday lunch or just about any other time of the week.
Watching his favorite show.

1 comment:

  1. I've never used that feature. I haven't really thought about it. I generally don't use vibrations. But I might make one just for fun. tunnel rush

    ReplyDelete