Picanha

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]

In Brazil

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.

In Portugal

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

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]

Etymology

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]

Cooking methods

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]

References

^ Woerner, Dale R. (6 February 2017). "Meat Quality Workshop: Know Your Meat". North American Meat Institute. Retrieved 21 May 2019.
^ "Picanha – The Tender Tasty Brazilian Queen of Beef". erienewsnow.com. Retrieved 2024-07-30.
^ "Picanha: How To Cook Rump Cap". August 25, 2020. Archived from the original on January 19, 2022. Retrieved January 19, 2022.
^ Porto Editora – alcatra no Dicionário infopédia da Língua Portuguesa [em linha]. Porto: Porto Editora. [consult. 2024-01-01 21:42:14]. Disponível em [1]
^ "Alcatra dá origem a picanha, baby beef e mais cortes para grelha e panela". www.uol.com.br (in Brazilian Portuguese). Archived from the original on 2024-01-01. Retrieved 2024-01-01.
^ "Cortes". Bife Lovers - Animais, raças, cortes, bifes, Carne britânica de qualidade (in European Portuguese). Archived from the original on 2024-01-01. Retrieved 2024-01-01.
^ "PICANHA CONQUISTA PORTUGUESES". www.cmjornal.pt (in European Portuguese). Archived from the original on 2024-01-01. Retrieved 2024-01-01.
^ "Restaurantes em Lisboa: melhores sítios para comer picanha em Lisboa". Time Out Lisboa (in European Portuguese). 2018-01-23. Archived from the original on 2024-01-01. Retrieved 2024-01-01.
^ Winstanley, Chris (15 August 2013). "Picanha The taste of Brazil". Portugal Resident. Archived from the original on 1 January 2024. Retrieved 1 January 2024.
^ "Produtores europeus pedem suspensão de carne brasileira". Exame (in Brazilian Portuguese). 2017-03-19. Archived from the original on 2024-01-01. Retrieved 2024-01-01.
^ Gomes, Adelino (2004-07-25). "Importações portuguesas de "boi gordo" disparam com picanha em destaque". PÚBLICO (in Portuguese). Archived from the original on 2024-01-01. Retrieved 2024-01-01.
^ "Importações portuguesas de "picanha" duplicam em três anos". TVI Notícias (in Portuguese). Archived from the original on 2024-01-01. Retrieved 2024-01-01.
^ "Portugueses já estão a boicotar a picanha brasileira". Jornal Expresso (in European Portuguese). Archived from the original on 2024-01-01. Retrieved 2024-01-01.
^ "Picanha – The Brazilian Brand of Meat" Street Smart Brazil. November 3, 2010. (Retrieved 2018-05-17.)
^ "Picanha – The Brazilian Brand of Meat" Archived 2013-03-13 at the Wayback Machine Street Smart Brazil. November 3, 2010. (Retrieved 2018-05-17.)
^ S.A, Priberam Informática. "Dicionário Priberam da Língua Portuguesa". Dicionário Priberam da Língua Portuguesa. Archived from the original on 2018-10-17. Retrieved 2018-10-17.
^ Sanches, Mariana (2016-12-27). "12 receitas de picanha que vão agradar todos os amantes de carne". Receiteria (in Brazilian Portuguese). Archived from the original on 2024-01-04. Retrieved 2024-01-03.
^ "6 receitas com picanha que vão além do churrasco". Terra (in Brazilian Portuguese). Archived from the original on 2024-01-03. Retrieved 2024-01-03.