… according to Carolina.
What do you think about when you hear the word Brazil?
Hot sexy cinnamon colored skin women on a beach background, dance, music, joy of life, vast natural life, the jungle, a huge thriving country with abundant resources, right?
I’ve visited Brazil many times and there’s one thing I find myself craving for… it’s almost painful… I ache for it…
Is it Pelé? Perhaps samba? How about Capoeira? The Rio de Janeiro Carnival? Maybe… Iguaçu Falls? Coffee? Have you guessed enough?
Oh, the Brazilian food memories
Brazilians are big on their food and with endless green grasslands, they enjoy some of the best meats in the world, just because the quality of their grass is superb.
I apologize if I’m offending some of my vegetarian friends, but I’m not sure you’d remain vegetarian once you tasted wonderful juicy Brazilian meat.
Brazilians are almost religious about their meats and they have very precise and special cuts for it.
By far, the best one for me is called Picanha (pronounced pee-cahgna) which in English would be top sirloin and is a cut from the rear of the cow, very tender, very moist and surrounded by an unbelievably tasty layer of fat.
Oh, yes, cultural travel can also be about delicious yummy juicy fatty meat!
Barbecue, really?
Picanha is the center piece of rodizio culture, a rodizio is a typical Brazilian grill house and it is in itself, a sort of ritual to eat there, though in Brazil rodizios are mostly called churrascarias, a name that comes from “churrasco” which translated roughly as “barbecue”.
Brazilians pride themselves on having about twelve different cuts of meat, each one tastier than the one before and I got this impression that they know the names of the cuts by heart.
When you visit a churrascaria, you pay a fixed price, you have a salad bar and a choice of deserts.
You’re supposed to get some salad, before the parade of meats starts.
Picture: My Inner Goddess.
The main course are all the meats, which waiters bring to the table in long metal sticks. You’re supposed to point at the cut of meat you want and with very sharp knives, the waiters cut a bit of the meat for you. Before the piece parts from the rest of the meat portion on the stick, you grab some pincers and you grab the piece and put it in your plate.
Photo: The Hague Online.
They not only serve cow meat, but also pork and chicken with grilled chicken hearts being one of their delicacies.
The very best of all the meat cuts to me is picanha. I feel about picanha, the way Anthony Bourdain feels about pork, it’s like a drug, it’s not particularly good for your health, but God, is it glorious. It should be voted the eighth wonder of the world. Ok, maybe I’m overreacting a bit, but I just miss it so much.
Photo: Baker Street School
Brazilians like their meat rare, and I love it like that too, so picanha is moist, tender, bloody and scrumptious, with that crunchy juicy greasy fat on the outside. It melts in your mouth and you are compelled to close your eyes and savor every bite, slowly.
Some protocol tips
Churrascarias have this protocol, you are given a carton card, mostly round shaped, one side is green and it says “Sim por favor (yes, please)” and the other side is red and reads “Nao, obrigado (No, thank you)”. You keep the card next to you, and as long as the card is showing the green side, waiters will keep bringing you food. They will only stop, when your card is showing the red side.
Photo: http://w-uh.com
Another thing, you wash all this meat down with some nice beer. Brazilian waiters won’t wait until you’ve finished your glass of beer. Once you’ve drank about two thirds of it, they’ll give you a refill without asking. So, be careful with getting tipsy.
Wow, my mouth watered writing this post. I miss picanha so much. I’ve traveled a bit, and picanha is the best meat I’ve ever had and I’ve only tasted it in Brazil.
Resources
If you’re visiting the country, a very famous churrascaria is the Montana Grill, very top notch, very classy, and desserts, to die for. I highly recommend the banana flambé or the papaya dessert.
Here’s a fun resource, an English translation of Brazilian cooking terms for you to enjoy!
And another fun resource, a map of the meat cuts, which most churrascarias provide, so that you can choose what you want.
Have you eaten Brazilian picanha before? Did you love it as much as I did?
Have you ever found such a good meat outside of Brazil?
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Picanha is marvellous, I miss it so much. I am in Canada and next weekend I will go to a Brazilian Restaurant in Toronto to eat this wonderful piece of meat.
And is it as good in Toronto as it is in Brazil?
Beautiful text. I’m a brazilian living overseas and feel the same as you about picanha. Sometimes I dream with it.