Churrasco – the Gaucho equivalent for Estonian sauna

Churrasco is the Portuguese term for barbeque. Here in the south of Brazil, it is deeply traditional. It is not a meal; it is a process and a ritual.

I believe anyone organizing a party, a get together or a welcome/goodbye for someone would first suggest having a churrasco. Just like in Estonia, where we would organize a sauna party (I have to admit, I am from Saaremaa - an island far from the capital). Learn more about the ritual and meaning of sauna before continuing with reading this post. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Finnish_sauna (Estonian sauna tradition is 100% the same).

Both sauna and churrasco are the main family event of the week.

So what does a real churrasco look like?

We have to start by looking deep into Gaucho soul and asking ourselves – what is the perfect state of relaxation, understanding of the best spent quality time, and the image of true manliness for Gauchos?

A Gaucho is very proud of Rio Grande do Sul and its traditions. He, like an Estonian man, finds it important to be able to start a fire, which is a lost value in the western world. The highlight of his weekly accomplishments in his true heart is when he serves his dearest people perfectly juicy, just enough salty meat that he made himself, from scratch. Traditionally that would include killing the cow with his own sword, but nowadays, in the city, the tradition mainly starts at the butcher’s by choosing the right kind of pieces of meat.

In the case of sauna, the whole procedure starts with chopping firewood. It is important that the wood comes from the right kind of tree and it is completely dry. Then the man can proceed with chopping the logs, placing them in the sauna oven and setting the whole thing on fire.

The meat (according to the piece) is rolled around and then kept a few minutes up until some tens of minutes in coarse salt. Then it is put in the churrasqueira (kind of like a big fireplace) where it is turned every few minutes. A bit later the chef will use his sword (that he keeps on his belt) to spank the salt off the meat. When it’s ready, he serves the meat on people’s plates right off the metal stick, cutting slices with his manly sword. He is the last one to eat, when everyone else is satisfied.















He serves different pieces of meat, but I find it most important to mention picanha (I believe it is located somewhere on the 'ass' of the cow) and chicken hearts (coração de galinha). The hearts because they were a part of my culture shock and because I’ve learned to think they are absolutely delicious!

Returning to the topic of sauna... The man will spend hours adding firewood, measuring the temperature, setting the hot room ready for visitors. When the temperature is right (depending on taste, between 80 and 110 degrees), he invites his friends and family to join him for a night of sauna.

Both rituals take hours and are not taken lightly. But somehow, they are rituals of relaxation and confirmation that everything is all right – the family is together, the bellies are fed/cleaned and the man of the house is still the man of the house. Complete mental and physical relaxation. Every Sunday (sauna’s case - Saturday) the family becomes closer together. It is something that kids run back home for once they’ve grown up and are leading their modern stressful lives.

My Gaucho friend agreed, he said “I would say churrasco is the reason to survive the week - to wake up, go to school/work, because after a long week - there is the churrasco.”

That is how I feel about sauna.

Just for fun, here is a little comparison between the two:

CHURRASCO	SAUNA
It’s a family-friends event	It’s a family-friends event
It feels completely natural and essential in a weekend	It feels completely natural and essential in a weekend
There is a special place in your house only for that	There is a special place in your house only for that
The ritual revolves around a fireplace	The ritual revolves around a fireplace
It takes the whole morning and noon	It takes the whole evening
Normally on Sunday	Normally on Saturday
It’s on fire	It’s hot
There is a set of special tools	There is a set of special tools
You wear traditional gaucho clothes	You wear traditionally nothing
You enjoy it with beer	You enjoy it with beer