Churrasco

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Churrasco is a Spanish and Portuguese term referring to beef or grilled meat more generally, differing across Latin America but a primary dish in the countries of Argentina, Brazil and Nicaragua.

In Argentina, a churrasco is a thick cut of steak, from the skirt steak. Gauchos would have grilled churrasco as part of their asado, now the national dish of the country, served with chimichurri, salad and fried or mashed potatoes, perhaps even a fried egg. Churrasco is also found in Bolivia, Paraguay and Uruguay.

In Nicaragua, churrasco refers to the tenderloin steak. It is also served with chimichurri sauce as in Argentina and is a very traditional dish in the country. Nicaraguan style churrasco is even famous in countries like Cuba, Thailand, Nigeria, and in the state of Texas.

In Chile, churrasco refers to a thin cut of steak which varies depending on the desired quality of the sandwich. The slices are grilled and served on a toasted bun, usually accompanied with tomato, avocado and mayonnaise, in the case of a churrasco italiano. Another popular dish, churrasco a lo pobre ("poor man's churrasco"), consists of a churrasco served with French fries, fried egg, and caramelized onions.

In Brazil, churrasco refers mainly to all of the meat cooked on the "churrasqueira", an oven with supports for spits or skewers, where the meat is put on. Portable "churrasqueiras" will have a grill support, similar to those used to prepare the Argentinian and Uruguayan Asado (see Cuisine of Argentina). However, most often the Brazilian "churrasqueiras" will not have grills, only the skewers on top of the fire. A churrascaria is a restaurant where the served meat is prepared in such ovens. Most of these restaurants are all-you-can-eat serving of meat; the waiters will go around the restaurant with the skewers, slicing the meat on the client's plate. This serving style is called Rodizio and is also used in Brazilian Pizza and Pasta Restaurants.

It can refer also to cooked meat on large metal or wood skewers rested on a support or stuck into the ground, roasted with fire on charcoal or firewood (what is typical in the State of Rio Grande do Sul, whose inhabitants also are called Gauchos). In other parts of Brazil (including most famously in Rio de Janeiro) people also prepare churrasco at their homes, where it is usually served outdoors with lots of beer, music and beside a pool or watching soccer games on TV with friends.

In Portugal, Frango de Churrasco with piri piri (a kind of salty roasted chicken cooked on the churrasqueira, spiced with hot red chili sauce) is very popular and appreciated. Portuguese churrasco and chicken dishes are very popular in countries that received Portuguese immigrants in the past, such as Canada, Australia, Venezuela and South Africa.

In Galicia, churrasco refers altmost exclusively to grilled spare- ribs either of pork or beef. The recipee for churrasco is undoubtedly one of the most notorious cultural contributions of the massive emigration waves of Galicians to America in the 20th century. Nowadays, preparing a churrascada is considered a key social fixture among Galicians regardless their social class or language spoken.

The term churrasco can also be seen in former Portuguese colonies elsewhere - a Churrasco Moçambicano is a grilled meat dish from Mozambique, for instance.