The tradition of cooking meat on skewers has ancient roots that stretch back thousands of years across multiple cultures. In Brazil, skewered cooking was deeply influenced by three converging histories: indigenous Brazilian communities who roasted meat over open fire, Portuguese colonizers who brought European meat-curing and grilling traditions in the 1500s, and African enslaved peoples who introduced bold seasonings and nose-to-tail cooking practices.

It is largely from African culinary influence that miúdos — organ meats such as hearts, livers, and gizzards — became celebrated rather than discarded. Enslaved Africans, given access only to less-prized cuts, transformed these ingredients into dishes of extraordinary flavor. Chicken hearts, inexpensive and widely available, became a staple of this resourceful cooking tradition.