Picanha is a cut of beef first made popular in Brazil, and later adopted in Portugal. It consists of the final part of the biceps femoris muscle, at the bottom of the animal, and its fat cap. [1] In recent years the cut has become popular in most of the Americas and has gained a reputation as a tasty meat in the barbecue culture. [2]
The cut was created in Bixiga neighborhood, São Paulo, in the 1950s, but not for barbecue. The first restaurant to roast picanha in a barbecue was the restaurant Dinho's in 1973. In Brazil, the most prized cut of meat tends to be the picanha. There the traditional preparation is to skewer the meat and cook it over a charcoal grill, with a minimal seasoning consisting of coarse sea salt. [3] The fat is retained until the steak has been cooked.
Although already known in Portugal as a part of alcatra, [4] [5] the cut and its association with barbecue in Portugal was popularized by Brazilian immigrants and Brazilian restaurants starting in the end of the 20th century, taking advantage of the United Kingdom BSE outbreak of the 1990s. [6] [7] Picanha is served in restaurants [8] and is widely available in supermarkets and butchers, both fresh and packaged under vacuum. [9] Most of it is usually produced within the European Union (Republic of Ireland and Poland) [10] and also imported from Argentina, Brazil, Paraguay and Uruguay in South America. [11] [12] [13]
In the United States until recently the cut was little known and often named top sirloin cap, rump cover, rump cap, or culotte (French). American butchers generally divide this cut into other cuts like the rump, the round, and the loin. [14] Unlike in Brazil, the traditionally-retained fat tends to be removed before preparation, unless requested otherwise by the customer. [15]
The term picanha is of unknown origin. It could be derived from the word picana, which was a pole used by ranchers in the southern parts of Portugal and Spain, particularly in Alentejo, for herding cattle. [16]
Picanha can be prepared on the grill, in the oven, on the hob, in a frying pan, or sous vide with a variety of spices and accompaniments. [17] [18]
Brazilian cuisine is the set of cooking practices and traditions of Brazil, and is characterized by European, Amerindian, African, and Asian influences. It varies greatly by region, reflecting the country's mix of native and immigrant populations, and its continental size as well. This has created a national cuisine marked by the preservation of regional differences.
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During butchering, beef is first divided into primal cuts, pieces of meat initially separated from the carcass. These are basic sections from which steaks and other subdivisions are cut. Since the animal's legs and neck muscles do the most work, they are the toughest; the meat becomes more tender as distance from hoof and horn increases.
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