May 27, 2010

Churrasco Seasoning – A Name For All Seasons.

Churrasco Seasoning creates one of those unique tastes that many people seem to develop a huge craving for. I’d go as far as to say that nearly everyone, who has ever tasted it, or should I say “experienced” it (since it goes beyond the sense of mere “taste”) always seems to long for it again.

Yet there is problem with Churrasco Seasoning and by extension Churrasco Sauce. It can be summed up by one simple question. What exactly is Churrasco Seasoning or, for that matter, Sauce?

But just as the choice of precise ingredients used in it is somewhat varied these days, so too the taste and attractiveness of this dish is extremely dependent on the quality of those ingredients.

So, while the word “Churrasco” on its own fairly accurately retained the meaning it had since the sixteenth century, the sauces and spices devised to season it have been adapted to suit global tastes.

The result is that in some part of the World you can come across “Churrasco” Sauce that is not really associated with meat. Indeed some people even use it as a sort of spicy spread on bread or as a dip. In other words, it has become an adaptable, stand-alone entity.

Assuming that the quality can be assured, the ingredients then can be assembled. But this is where each cook’s personal preferences come into play. From the, perhaps ten, potential ingredients that can go into the mix, rarely are they all chosen.

This recipe of ingredients is not unlike the ingredients of the sauce know by the Spanish name “Adobo” and popular in Latin America generally and South-western parts of the United States.

Additions to the above ingredients especially for those fond of experimentation include vinegar, orange juice and lime juice. Oh, and a sprinkle of brown sugar.

Nevertheless, it can save time and there’s a lot to be said for using someone else’s tried and tested experience when you’re in a hurry, or if you haven’t the energy on a particular occasion to do your own experimentation.

But remember there are probably as many recipes for Churrasco Seasoning as there are chefs and cookbooks.

Maybe not the first time, but eventually you will produce a personal unique combination of the usual ingredients and maybe even mix-in an additional secret one that literally adds that extra bit of spice and leads to the creation of your very own version of this classic. With a flick of your wrist you could expand even wider the already malleable meaning of the term “Churrasco Seasoning”.