''Rodízio'' (pronounced in

Brazil Brazil ( pt, Brasil; ), officially the Federative Republic of Brazil (Portuguese: ), is the largest country in both South America and Latin America. At and with over 217 million people, Brazil is the world's fifth-largest country by area ...

) is an

all-you-can-eat An all-you-can-eat restaurant (AYCE) is a type of restaurant in which a fixed price is charged for entry, after which diners may consume as much food as they wish. All-you-can-eat establishments are frequently buffets. Buffets The all-you-can- ...

style of restaurant service in

ian restaurants.

Description

In most areas of the world outside of Brazil, a ''rodízio'' restaurant refers to a Brazilian-style steakhouse restaurant. Customers pay a

fixed price A fixed price is a price set for a good or a service that is not subject to bargaining. The price may be fixed because the seller has set it, or because the price is regulated by the authorities under price controls. Bargaining is very commo ...

(''preço fixo''), and waiters bring samples of food to each customer repeatedly throughout the meal, until the customers signal that they have had enough to eat. In ''

churrascaria A ''churrascaria'' () is a place where meat is cooked in ''churrasco'' style, which translates roughly from the Portuguese word for "barbecue". ''Churrascaria'' cuisine is typically (but not always) served ''rodízio'' style, where roving wa ...

s'' or the traditional Brazilian-style steakhouse restaurants, servers come to the table with knives and a vertically-held

skewer A skewer is a thin metal or wood stick used to hold pieces of food together. The word may sometimes be used as a metonym, to refer to the entire food item served on a skewer, as in "chicken skewers". Skewers are used while grilling or roastin ...

, on which are speared various kinds of premium cuts of meat, most commonly local cuts of beef, pork, chicken, lamb, and sometimes atypical or exotic meats. The exact origin of the ''rodízio'' style of service is unknown, but the traditional story is that this serving style was created when a waiter delivered a meat skewer to the wrong table by mistake but let the guest take a small piece of the meat anyway. ''Rodízio'' became increasingly popular in Brazil in the mid-20th century and spread around the world as experienced servers moved to open their own restaurants. In Brazil, the ''rodízio'' style is sometimes also found in Italian or more recently Japanese restaurants. Italian restaurants serving pizza are especially common. Most ''rodízio'' courses are served right off the cooking spit and are sliced or plated right at the table. Thin slices are carved from the roasted outside layer of large cuts; the diners may use a pair of small stainless-steel tongs to grab the slices as they are cut, and then place them on their plate. Alternatively, the server will push smaller

kebab Kebab (, ; ar, كباب, link=no, Latn, ar, kabāb, ; tr, kebap, link=no, ) or kabob (North American) is a type of cooked meat dish that originates from cuisines of the Middle East. Many variants of the category are popular around the wor ...

-style chunks off the end of the skewer onto a serving plate. Often, the meat servings are accompanied with fried potatoes, fried

polenta Polenta (, ) is a dish of boiled cornmeal that was historically made from other grains. The dish comes from Italy. It may be served as a hot porridge, or it may be allowed to cool and solidify into a loaf that can be baked, fried, or grilled. ...

, fried bananas,

collard greens Collard is a group of certain loose-leafed cultivars of ''Brassica oleracea'', the same species as many common vegetables including cabbage ( Capitata group) and broccoli ( Italica group). Collard is a member of the Viridis group of ''Brassica ...

, black beans,

rice Rice is the seed of the grass species ''Oryza sativa'' (Asian rice) or less commonly ''Oryza glaberrima ''Oryza glaberrima'', commonly known as African rice, is one of the two domesticated rice species. It was first domesticated and grown i ...

, salads, or other side dishes (usually self-served

buffet A buffet can be either a sideboard (a flat-topped piece of furniture with cupboards and drawers, used for storing crockery, glasses, and table linen) or a system of serving meals in which food is placed in a public area where the diners serve ...

style). In many restaurants, the diner is provided with a colored card or token. Green, on one side, indicates to servers to bring more meat. Red, on the other side, indicates that the diners have enough for the moment. This does not necessarily signal that the diner is finished eating, but only indicates that no more meat servings are desired at that moment.

Fare

The following foods are often seen at a ''

'' served ''rodízio'' style: *

Filet mignon Filet mignon (; ; ) is a cut of meat taken from the smaller end of the tenderloin, or psoas major of a cow. In French, it mostly refers to cuts of pork tenderloin. The tenderloin runs along both sides of the spine, and is usually butchered as ...

chunks wrapped in bacon * Turkey chunks wrapped in bacon (these two are usually two-bite sized) *

Sirloin steak In American butchery, the sirloin steak (called the ''rump steak'' in British butchery) is cut from the sirloin, the subprimal posterior to the short loin where the T-bone, porterhouse, and club steaks are cut. The sirloin is actually di ...

(cut semicircular and served in slices) *

Roast beef Roast beef is a dish of beef that is roasted, generally served as the main dish of a meal. In the Anglosphere, roast beef is one of the meats often served at Sunday lunch or dinner. Yorkshire pudding is a standard side dish. Sliced roast beef ...

(served like sirloin steak) * Rump cover (called ''

picanha ''Picanha'' is a cut of beef first made popular in Brazil, and later adopted in Portugal. In the United States, the cut is little known and often named top sirloin cap, rump cover, rump cap, or culotte (French). North American butchers generally ...

'' in Portuguese) *

Flank steak Flank steak is a cut of beef steak taken from the abdominal muscles of the cow, located just behind the plate and in front of the rear quarter. It is a long, flat cut with a significant grain, and is known for its bold flavor and chewiness. Te ...

(called ''fraldinha'' in Portuguese) * Beef short ribs *

Lamb Lamb or The Lamb may refer to: * A young sheep * Lamb and mutton, the meat of sheep Arts and media Film, television, and theatre * ''The Lamb'' (1915 film), a silent film starring Douglas Fairbanks Sr. in his screen debut * ''The Lamb'' (1918 ...

* Pork ribs * ''

Chouriço Chorizo (, from Spanish ; similar to but distinct from Portuguese ) is a type of pork cured meat originating from the Iberian Peninsula. In Europe, chorizo is a fermented, cured, smoked meat, which may be sliced and eaten without cooking, or ...

'' or some other spicy Iberian

pork sausage A sausage is a type of meat product usually made from ground meat—often pork, beef, or poultry—along with salt, spices and other flavourings. Other ingredients, such as grains or breadcrumbs may be included as fillers or extenders. W ...

* Chicken hearts * Grilled dark-meat chicken * Grilled pineapple or banana (meant as a

palate cleanser A palate cleanser is a neutral-flavored food or drink that removes food residue from the tongue allowing one to more accurately assess a new flavor. Palate cleansers are often used between tasting wine or cheese or other strong flavors. Pickled ...

between courses) File:Cuisine_of_Brazil_-_IMG_0016.jpg, A ''rodízio'' side dish buffet selection File:Samba Grill Brazilian Churrascaria Food Sampling (15271874383).jpg, Assortment of raw meats being set up for ''

'' grilling File:Presidente Temer convida embaixadores para churrascaria 03.jpg, Brazilian politicians being served ''rodízio'' style

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Rodizio Restaurants by type Food and drink in Brazil

Description

Fare

See also

References