Authentic Uruguayan parrilla, over a wood fire.

Asado is part of Uruguayan culture. Its origins go back to the Gauchos, the skilled horsemen and cattle herders who roamed Uruguay's vast plains in the 18th and 19th centuries. Cooking meat over a wood fire became a symbol of Uruguayan identity — a tradition handed down from generation to generation. It is a rioplatense tradition shared with Argentina, where asado is part of the cultural heritage of both countries.