A ''churrascaria'' () is a place where meat is cooked in ''

churrasco ''Churrasco'' (, ) is the Portuguese and Spanish name for grilled beef prominent in South American and Iberian cuisines, and in particular in Bolivia, Paraguay, Brazil, Uruguay, and Argentina. The term is also used in other Spanish- and Por ...

'' style, which translates roughly from the Portuguese word for "

barbecue Barbecue or barbeque (often shortened to BBQ worldwide; barbie or barby in Australia and New Zealand) is a term used with significant regional and national variations to describe various cooking methods that employ live fire and smoke to coo ...

". ''Churrascaria'' cuisine is typically (but not always) served '' rodízio'' style, where roving waiters serve the barbecued meats from large skewers directly onto the seated diners' plates.

Terminology

Related terminology comes from the Portuguese language. A ''churrasqueiro'' is somebody who cooks ''churrasco'' style food in a ''churrascaria'' restaurant or at home. A '' churrasqueira'' is a barbecue grill used for this style of cooking.

History

Distinctly a

South American South America is a continent entirely in the Western Hemisphere and mostly in the Southern Hemisphere, with a considerably smaller portion in the Northern Hemisphere. It can also be described as the southern Subregion#Americas, subregion o ...

style rotisserie, it owes its origins to the fireside roasts of the gaúchos of southern Brazil, Argentina, and Uruguay, traditionally from the

Pampa The Pampas (; from Quechuan languages, Quechua 'plain'), also known as the Pampas Plain, are fertile South American low grasslands that cover more than and include the Argentina, Argentine Provinces of Argentina, provinces of Buenos Aires Pro ...

region, centuries ago.

Contemporary ''churrascarias''

In modern restaurants '' rodízio'' service is typically offered. (waiters) come to the table with knives and a skewer, on which are speared various kinds of meat, be it

beef Beef is the culinary name for meat from cattle (''Bos taurus''). Beef can be prepared in various ways; Cut of beef, cuts are often used for steak, which can be cooked to varying degrees of doneness, while trimmings are often Ground beef, grou ...

pork Pork is the culinary name for the meat of the pig (''Sus domesticus''). It is the most commonly consumed meat worldwide, with evidence of pig animal husbandry, husbandry dating back to 8000–9000 BCE. Pork is eaten both freshly cooke ...

, filet mignon, lamb,

chicken The chicken (''Gallus gallus domesticus'') is a domesticated subspecies of the red junglefowl (''Gallus gallus''), originally native to Southeast Asia. It was first domesticated around 8,000 years ago and is now one of the most common and w ...

duck Duck is the common name for numerous species of waterfowl in the family (biology), family Anatidae. Ducks are generally smaller and shorter-necked than swans and goose, geese, which are members of the same family. Divided among several subfam ...

ham Ham is pork from a leg cut that has been preserved by wet or dry curing, with or without smoking."Bacon: Bacon and Ham Curing" in '' Chambers's Encyclopædia''. London: George Newnes, 1961, Vol. 2, p. 39. As a processed meat, the term '' ...

(with

pineapple The pineapple (''Ananas comosus'') is a Tropical vegetation, tropical plant with an edible fruit; it is the most economically significant plant in the family Bromeliaceae. The pineapple is indigenous to South America, where it has been culti ...

sausage A sausage is a type of meat product usually made from ground meat—often pork, beef, or poultry—along with salt, spices and other flavourings. Other ingredients, such as grains or breadcrumbs, may be included as fillers or extenders. ...

fish A fish (: fish or fishes) is an aquatic animal, aquatic, Anamniotes, anamniotic, gill-bearing vertebrate animal with swimming fish fin, fins and craniate, a hard skull, but lacking limb (anatomy), limbs with digit (anatomy), digits. Fish can ...

, or any other sort of local cut of meat. A common cut of beef top sirloin cap is known as ''

picanha ''Picanha'' is a Cut of beef, cut of beef first made popular in Brazil, and later adopted in Portugal. It consists of the final part of the ''biceps femoris muscle, biceps femoris'' muscle, at the bottom of the animal, and its fat cap. In recent y ...

''. In addition to the table service, a self-service buffet of salad, bread, rice, and

farofa ''Farofa'' () is a type of Flour, meal made from toasted cassava. It is eaten mainly in Brazil. It can be found commercially produced and packaged but can also be prepared at home based on family recipes. Most recipes will also contain varying ...

is offered.

Brazil

In most parts of Brazil, the ''churrasco'' is roasted over

charcoal Charcoal is a lightweight black carbon residue produced by strongly heating wood (or other animal and plant materials) in minimal oxygen to remove all water and volatile constituents. In the traditional version of this pyrolysis process, ca ...

. In the south of Brazil, however, mostly close to the borders of

Argentina Argentina, officially the Argentine Republic, is a country in the southern half of South America. It covers an area of , making it the List of South American countries by area, second-largest country in South America after Brazil, the fourt ...

and

Uruguay Uruguay, officially the Oriental Republic of Uruguay, is a country in South America. It shares borders with Argentina to its west and southwest and Brazil to its north and northeast, while bordering the Río de la Plata to the south and the A ...

, embers of wood are also used.

Portugal

Throughout

Portugal Portugal, officially the Portuguese Republic, is a country on the Iberian Peninsula in Southwestern Europe. Featuring Cabo da Roca, the westernmost point in continental Europe, Portugal borders Spain to its north and east, with which it share ...

there are various grills located in towns, cities, and also by the roadside on national highways. While '' churrasqueira'' restaurants offer the typical fare of barbecued ' (chicken), beef or pork, they may also offer rotisserie chicken and a variety of other culinary dishes.

United States

''Churrascaria'' cuisine combined with ''rodízio'' style service has become more popular in the US, expanding to a number of cities.

References

{{Barbecue Restaurants by type Barbecue Culture of Brazil Food and drink in Brazil Food and drink in Portugal