Carne de Onça should be the first dish typical of Curitiba

This Tuesday afternoon (21), a group of representatives of gastronomic establishments in Curitiba met at the headquarters of Sebrae/PR for a historic meeting. From now on, work officially begins on documenting and formatting a dossier on Carne de Jaguar that will be forwarded to the National Institute of Industrial Property (INPI).

The objective is to obtain the certification of a typical dish from Curitiba, in the Indication of Origin (IP) modality, proving that it is a traditional recipe and 100% local.

“It is work for the future, we will leave a legacy for the next generations and that is priceless”

Mabel Guimarães, State coordinator of agribusiness at Sebrae/PR

The process will be carried out in partnership with Sebrae/PR, which has the expertise in procedures and rules for INPI Geographical Indications (GI). Paraná has 12 certified GIs, all the result of joint work between producers, local businessmen and the Brazilian Micro and Small Business Support Service.

And what changes, in practice?

For those who live in Curitiba and already recognize Carne de Onça as a traditional dish, it seems a little obvious to say that it is typical of the city. But the Geographical Indication seal is a worldwide recognition that attests to the regionality and originality of the dish. In addition to regulating, inspecting the original recipe and registering establishments that sell the preparation.

After certification, the name Carne de Onça de Curitiba can only be used by establishments that strictly follow the certified recipe and are part of the association responsible for overseeing the maintenance of the original preparation. These places will have a stamp to identify them. All other preparations and locations will have to use another name.

As there are many versions of Carne de Jaguar, during the group meetings, the recipe will be standardized. The recorded preparation will probably be the original, which uses ground duckling, chopped onion and green onion, salt, pepper and is served with cornbread.

“The Carne de Onça de Curitiba will be a local brand. It will add value to the dish, highlight the importance and historical tradition and protect the product. One hundred years from now, the same recipe as today will be served in the city”, explains Mabel.

Curitiba’s Beef of Jaguar

The initiative to win the Geographical Indication belongs to entrepreneur and cook Sérgio Medeiros, owner of the gastronomy portal, Curitiba Honesta, which since 2014 has held the Jaguar Meat Festival in Curitiba.

He is also responsible for the historical research of the dish, which resulted in the title of intangible cultural heritage of Curitiba, in 2016. Since then, Carne de Onça has been recognized by the City Council of Curitiba as the only typical food in the city.

“We are taking the first step for Carne de Onça to gain national and global relevance. This will be a milestone for establishments in the city that will have an added attraction for customers and tourists”.

Sergio Medeiros, Curitiba Honesta

The next meeting of the group already has a date set, it is April 3rd, at 2 pm, at Sebrae in Parolim. And Bom Gourmet will accompany this journey.

To learn more about the history of Carne de Onça, just access the Curitiba Honesta website.