Facts About Galinha à africana
African chicken, also known as galinha à Africana (Portuguese:, is a Macanese chicken dish.
African chicken consists of a barbecued chicken coated with spicy piri piri sauce, which sometimes includes Asian ingredients such as coconut milk or peanuts.
The dish is sometimes considered to be a renowned Macanese dish, and is seen as a variant of piri piri Chicken.
Origins
There are many theories on where African chicken originated, but all invariably attribute the dish to Macau's Portuguese colonial past.
One theory on the dish's origin states the dish is the brainchild of local chef Americo Angelo, who came up with the dish in a hotel kitchen in the 1940s, utilizing spices he obtained from a trip to Portugal's African colonies at the time, while another theory states the recipe has been passed down through Portuguese families in Macau for centuries.
Yet another theory states the recipe was brought to Macau by retired Portuguese Army officers in the aftermath of the Carnation Revolution, who opened cafés and served foods they came to like during their overseas service.