churrasco

[ chuh-ras-koh; Spanish choor-rahs-kaw ]

noun

, Latin-American Cooking.

, plural chur·ras·cos [ch, uh, -, ras, -kohz, choo, r, -, rahs, -kaws]

1. meat cooked over an open fire.
2. a large piece of meat suitable for barbecuing.

Word History and Origins

Origin of churrasco¹

First recorded in 1915–20; from Brazilian Portuguese, Latin American Spanish (Argentina, Uruguay); compare dialectal Spanish (Salamanca region) churrusco “piece of burnt toast,” churruscar “to begin to burn,” Spanish socarrar “to scorch, singe,” all from a pre-Latin etymon

Example Sentences

Cattle and ranching are synonymous with the culture and romance of the gauchos—the cowboys of southern Brazil—as legendary as their counterparts in the American West and known for skewered barbecued steak called churrasco.

From National Geographic

There, in the former home of Cafe Presse on Capitol Hill, Corrales makes updated takes on traditional Galician small plates, plus several larger-scale ones — e.g., her polbo á feira, orange-poached octopus with guindilla chili oil and pickled onion, or churrasco de cerdo, slow-roasted pork ribs with celeriac ensaladilla and peach and jamon salsa.

From Seattle Times

When Manion opened his first restaurant, Nuevo Latino-inspired Mas, in Chicago in 1999, he menued a very Y2K dish called churrasco atún — aka, grilled yellowfin tuna with green chimichurri and yucca fries.

From Salon

Still, the churrasco faces competition from the rest of its big plate, decorated with a neat stack of crisp yuca, stinging chimichurri and, at the behest of my server, charro beans swollen with the flavor of their porky broth.

From Washington Post

I had a tender chicken breast powder coated in parsley, oregano and garlic, served with Spanish rice, refried black beans and a vibrant churrasco salsa.

From Seattle Times