The tradition of pollo a l’ast—spit-roasted chicken—runs deep in Catalonia, its technique rooted in medieval cookery while its cultural rise coincided with the industrial and urban boom of the mid-20th century. Its method—skewering an eviscerated bird on a rotating spit over heat—still resembles descriptions found in the 1324 Llibre de Sent Soví. Condiments like lemon, salt, pepper and local herbs have endured through centuries.
In Barcelona, pollo a l’ast became a beloved working-class ritual in the 1950s and 60s. Small pollerías proliferated, offering a convenient yet festive way to cap off the weekend.   The vertical rotisserie itself—a turning shaft that permitted even roasting and flowing juices—was patented in Catalonia in 1957 by engineer Ignasi Miró i Argelaga. 
The iconic pairing of roast chicken with cava emerged thanks to Joan Casas, who returned from Berlin in the early 1960s and adapted gas-powered rotisseries for his Barcelona restaurant, Kikiriki. He transformed roasted bird from a once-special occasion treat into an affordable Sunday tradition and popularised serving it with cava.   Later, restaurants such as Los Caracoles—one of the city’s oldest—helped consolidate its place in Catalan culinary life. 
Today, pollo a l’ast continues to evolve. At Els Pollos de Llull, family-run for decades, up to 1,500 chickens are turned, marinated with white wine and apple, then sold each weekend.  And modern reinterpretations like Roosters & Bubbles pay homage to the original—offering spit-roasted meats with cava served in Pompadour glasses in the trendy Born district.  
From medieval manuscripts to modern tables, this dish remains one of Barcelona’s most enduring and joyful Sunday traditions.
