London, England, Coventry, England, and Alexandria, Virginia
When you’re traveling in a foreign place, you can find yourself wanting a taste of home. Nando’s is an English fast-casual dining chain that focuses on Afro-Portuguese chicken, so it seems crazy that I consider it a taste of home. A visit to Nando’s, along with a little understanding of colonialism, led me to that conclusion.
I was first introduced to Nando’s in 2015 on my second trip to the United Kingdom. My work colleague, Dr. Joey Long, took our group from the university to Nando’s for the first time. The way that Joey described Nando’s was that it was about the closest thing to Bojangles that you would find in England. He was not kidding: with the Peri-Peri seasoning, the roasted chicken, and the delicious sides, Nando’s became a repeat visit for the students and me.
Years later, I was in Alexandria, Virginia, when I came across a Nando’s, so I introduced the chain to Wyatt, who thought it was delicious. I knew that when we returned to the United Kingdom, we were definitely stopping at Nando’s again.
The first Nando’s we went to on the trip was at Fulham Broadway subway station, down the street from Stamford Bridge. Nando’s was running a promotion on Fanta orange chicken, and I knew I needed to try two of the tastes that I’ve loved together. We also made a repeat visit to Nando’s later in our trip in downtown Coventry.
But why does this become a taste of home? The cooking style of Western African slaves merged with the deep-frying technique for chicken used by Scottish settlers in the Appalachian Mountains. When these two styles were combined, it gave rise to the iconic all-American culinary creation: fried chicken. When crops from the New World, such as corn, potatoes, and tomatoes, were combined, a unique flavor profile emerged.
As for me, writing this blog at lunchtime made me wish I could pop into Nando’s, since it is tough to write about tasty food on an empty stomach. If you are from the South and traveling to the United Kingdom and you’re looking for a taste that reminds you of home, I encourage you to stop into Nando‘s as well.
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