Churrascaria

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A churrascaria (shoo-HOSS-ka-REE-ah) is a Brazilian or Portuguese steakhouse. Churrasco is the cooking style, which translates roughly from the Portuguese for 'barbecue'. However, in order to avoid confusion, it is important to state that in the rest of South America other than Brazil, the 'barbecue' method of cooking meat is known as asado.

Distinctly a South American style rotisserie, it owes its origins to the fireside roasts of the gaúchos of southern Brazil traditionally from the Pampa region, centuries ago. In modern restaurants, rodizio service is typically offered. Servers come to your table with knives and a skewer, on which are speared various kinds of meat, be it beef, pork, filet mignon, lamb, chicken, duck, ham (and pineapple), sausage, fish, or any other sort of local cut of meat.

In most parts of Brazil, the churrasco is roasted with charcoal. In the south of Brazil, however, mostly close to the borders of Argentina and Uruguay, embers of wood are also used.

In many parts of North America, churrascarias are alternatively known as "Ten Different Meats," regardless of whether or not the particular churrascaria serves precisely ten varieties of meat.