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Carne de onça

(Jaguar meat)

Carne de onça is a traditional dish originating from Curitiba, where it's been served since 1953. It's also the town's official dish, a type of beef tartare made with a combination of minced beef, garlic, onions, chives, olive oil, Cognac, chili powder, and sweet paprika powder.


The minced beef is flattened, drizzled with Cognac, seasoned, and mixed with the remaining ingredients. Once done, the resulting mixture is usually shaped into a flat rectangle, and it's then served with toasted bread, mustard, and butter. The name of the dish means jaguar meat, referring to the Brazilian cat known as onça, because it's said that after eating the dish, you'll have the breath of the onça, a reference to the pungent ingredients used to prepare it.