Carne de Sol

Northeast Brazil (Sertão cattle culture — Ceará, Rio Grande do Norte, Pernambuco)

Carne de sol — 'sun-dried meat' — is the Northeast Brazil cattle culture's method of preserving lean beef by salting heavily and air-drying in the sun and wind (not fully desiccating as with beef jerky), producing a partially cured, still-moist beef that is then pan-fried, grilled, or cooked as the protein in Northeastern Brazilian dishes. The drying is partial — carne de sol retains moisture and must be refrigerated; it is not as preserved as charque (fully dried jerky). The salting draws surface moisture and the concentrated salt is partially washed away before cooking. The flavour is distinctively salty-sweet with a concentrated beef character, and the texture is firmer than fresh beef. It is the defining protein of Northeastern Brazil alongside dried beans and manioc.

Served with macaxeira (cassava) frita, baião de dois (rice and beans cooked together), and manteiga de garrafa (liquid clarified butter); the Northeastern combination of salty beef, creamy beans, and starchy cassava is a regional identity in food form.