Steak tartare is a meat dish made from finely chopped or minced
raw beef.
[1] Tartare can also be made by thinly slicing a high grade of meat such as
strip steak, marinating it in wine or other spirits, spicing it to taste, and then chilling it. It is often served with
onions,
capers and
seasonings (the latter typically incorporating fresh ground
pepper and
Worcestershire sauce), sometimes with a raw
egg, and often on rye bread.
Contents
[
hide]
[edit] History
A popular legend is that the dish is named after the nomadic
Tatar people of the
Central Asian steppes, who ate raw meat as they rode their horses because they did not have time to stop and cook. A variation of this story is that the meat was kept under the horse's saddles to be tenderized by the day's riding.
It was first served in French restaurants early in the 20th century. What is now generally known as "steak tartare" was then called steak à l'Americaine. Steak tartare was a variation on that dish; the 1921 edition of Escoffier's
Le Guide Culinaire defines it as steak à l'Americaine made without egg yolk, served with
tartar sauce on the side.
Over time, the distinction between steak à l'Americaine and its variant vanished. The 1938 edition of
Larousse Gastronomique describes steak tartare as raw ground beef served with a raw egg yolk, without any mention of tartar sauce.
[edit] Health concerns
Health concerns have reduced the popularity of this meat dish in some parts of the world because of the danger of contamination by
bacteria and parasites.
[2] However when basic hygienic rules are followed and when fresh meat is used the risk is low.
[3] It is not recommended for people who have a weakened
immune system or suffer from a chronic illness, because for these people there is a greater risk of infection from
E. coli and/or
Salmonella.
[edit] Regional variations
Steak tartare is now regarded as a gourmet dish. It is especially popular in
Belgium,
Croatia,
Czech Republic,
France,
Germany,
Hungary, the
Netherlands,
Poland,
Slovakia,
Slovenia,
Nepal, and
Switzerland.
In Belgium, steak tartare is known as
filet américain (translated as American fillet). In Belgium, it is served with
fries or considered a
sandwich dressing; it comes mostly
prepared (with onions and seasonings), but can be
unprepared (raw ground lean beef). Therefore in bilingual Belgium this filet américain is called "preparé". In The Netherlands, filet américain is primarily used as sandwich spread product and is processed with seasonings.
A variant of steak tartare called tartarmad is also present in Danish
smørrebrød, where it is served on
rugbrød (rye bread) with assorted toppings. In Germany, there is a very popular variant using raw minced pork called
Mett or
Hackepeter, which is typically served on rye bread or rolls, with the onions and pepper, but without capers or egg.
The Mexican version of steak tartare typically marinates the meat in
lime juice, while the standard version is marinated in wine.
In Nepal, "Kachila" is popular among the Newar community however, buffalo meat is used instead of beef since cow slaughter is illegal. Raw minced buffalo meat is mixed with mustard oil, ground fennel seeds, minced garlic and spices to prepare this dish.
Korean cuisine features a dish of prepared raw beef called
yukhoe.
Chilean cuisine features a dish of prepared raw beef called
crudos.
Ethiopian cuisine features a very spicy dish of prepared raw beef called
kitfo.
Steak tartare in a restaurant in
Paris, France.
Raw-meat dishes are popular across the
Levant; for instance,
kibbeh nayyeh (كبة نية,
kibbah nayyah) which incorporates raw lamb or beef with
bulgur wheat, olive oil and spices, known as
çiğ köfte (raw meat ball) in
Turkey, is often considered to be a
national dish of
Lebanon and
Syria.