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What cut of beef is “picanha” in English?

Picanha is the triangular cap of muscle at the top of the rump, sold with its thick fat layer still attached. The fat is the whole point: on the grill it melts down through the meat. English has no single settled name — butchers say rump cap, top sirloin cap or coulotte — which is why steakhouses abroad simply borrow the Portuguese word.

At a churrasco the cut is sliced thick with the grain, bent into a C and threaded onto a flat skewer, the espeto, fat side out; at a rodízio it is often one of the star cuts the waiters bring round. Neighbouring cuts you will meet on the same menu: alcatra (top sirloin), maminha (tri-tip), fraldinha (bavette) and contrafilé (striploin).