Due to the vast influence of the French cuisine on the rest of the world, it is perhaps no surprise that ‘brochette’ yields its roots from this very culture famed for its exquisite and rather creative style of cooking.

Brochette, which is a diminutive of the French word broche, refers to a skewer or spits which are usually wooden or metallic as is the case here in Rwanda.

It is on these skewers that foods are placed to be cooked in various styles. Adapted to English as ‘brochette’, food served on skewers is known as ‘en-brochette’.

The core of a brochette is the skewer which is pierced through foods such as meats and vegetables. The French cuisine is also famous for its dry dishes and therefore brochettes are generally grilled but may be backed, sautéed, roasted or broiled as well.

Common types of brochette include those made with goat, beef, lamb, chicken, sea food or vegetables which may be served on its own, dipped in sauce or part of a larger dish such as French fries and salad as it is usually done in Rwanda. They can be eaten off the skewer or teased off it.

The influence of the French cuisine vividly be seen in other cultures such as Greek where brochette is known as ‘souvlaki’, in the Middle East where it is the ‘kabob’, in

Thailand as the ‘satay’, in parts of the American south like Louisiana with the Louisiana barbecue and south America with the ‘pinchos americanos’.

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