as with its neighboring argentina, brazil is no stranger to picanha and grilled meat, and rio de janeiro is no exception. with juicy slabs of meat on the menu in most of rio's restaurants, it can be difficult to know which cut to choose, which is where picanha steps in.

popularized during the 1960's, when hungarian butchers in são paulo started using it to make tafelspitz, picanha is one of the newer meats on the rio menu.

the picanha cut is covered with a thick layer of fat, which isn't removed from the steak until after cooking, making grilled picanha one of the most flavorful dishes in the city.