Go into an American or an English butcher and ask for picanha and you’re liable to get blank stares. Turn to your Portuguese-English dictionary and look up the word picanha and you’ll find a blank spot. No translation at all! This omission is not due to the fact that your dictionary is flawed or that Brazilian cows are built differently than American cows. Instead, Brazilian butchers divide up the cow in different ways than American or English butchers do.
So what is picanha? How do we translate Brazilian cuts of beef into American or English cuts of beef? The answer to that question is surprisingly hard to answer.
Top sirloin? Bottom sirloin? Which one is it?
Someone named tanya c on Ask Yahoo! timidly suggested that picanha is not sirloin at all, but actually is part of the Round—or rear—of the cow. However, no one seemed to give any credence to tanya c.
British Beef Cuts
Confused, I decided to take the matter up with John Rodnei of Companhia da Carne in Campeche. He explained that picanha is actually from the Round section (tanya c was right!!!) and that the correct name for it is actually the rump roast, though in the U.S. the fat is usually cut off the top. “In England,” Rodnei said, “it’s the top part of the Silverside and Topside sections.”
John Rodnei also handed me a useful chart that shows the equivalents of all the cuts of beef from Brazil, England, the USA, Germany and other countries all together. So here it is. Next time you find yourself confused at the butcher’s, just take a look at this chart and all will become clear! Translation of Beef Cuts Various Languages
Companhia da Carne, where you can buy some of the best meat on the island, can be found at Rod. Luis Antonio Gonzaga, 2255, just across from La Pedrita. Tel. 3226 7031.
Any questions? Talk to John Rodnei, he’ll help sort you out.
Picanha is the cap on a Top Sirloin. This is completely different from tri tips. They are in the same general area but they are different.
This is a common mistake. Actually, it sits at the back of the cow, away from the sirloin, which is in the middle. The English
call this a rump steak (or silverside, more technically).
What about people who say picanha is the Culotte aka the Top Sirloin Cap (not Top Sirloin, which is different)?
Picana is not a sirloin, but rather a “rump roast” and a “tapa de cuadril” in Spanish America. Sirloin is from the middle section of the cow, whereas picana
comes from the “round” section at the back. Many people seem to think that picana is sirloin, but that’s simply not the case.
Picanha is also often confused with the tri-tip. The trip-tip is part of the sirloin (and in my opinion a better cut), but should not be confused
with picanha, which is from the round.