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.

• Shares the salt-cure-and-partial-dry technique with Italian bresaola and South African biltong; the traditional preservation method connecting to how beef was managed before refrigeration across semi-arid cattle cultures globally.

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.