Post by BBQ Butcher on Jan 12, 2015 4:37:15 GMT -5
Steak Tartare
"Tartare has two culinary applications in English, both of them inspired by the supposed fitness of the Tatar people of central Asia."
---An A-Z of Food & Drink, John Ayto [Oxford Univeristy Press:Oxford] 2002 (p. 338)
"One of the great old food legends, right up there with the tale of an English king dubbing a particular cut of meat "Sir Loin," is the one about Mongol horsemen (sometimes Huns) supposedly sticking steaks under their saddles before riding off to war. Thus tenderized, the story goes, the steaks could be cooked quickly, and from this, it continues, descends the dish of raw chopped beef we call steak tartare. A Berkeley, Calif., scholar named John Masson Smith notes that there's no reference to this practice in Chinese historical records, and medieval observers in the Middle East never wrote anything about it either. Smith says there's a theory that European observers got this idea because central Asian nomads do sometimes put pieces of meat on horses' backs. But the reason they do it is to lubricate and soothe their mounts' sores, much as Americans put a piece of beefsteak on a black eye. They don't eat the "tenderized steaks" afterward. Traditionally, Turkish nomads such as the Huns and Tatars didn't even eat steak as such. They would cut meat in small pieces for shish kebab or mince it fine for frying, or they'd boil it, so the toughness issue scarcely arose. As for the Mongols, they cooked nearly everything by boiling. "
---"Steak tenderizing legends have been marinated in myth," Chicago Tribune, May 16, 2001 (p.7A)
"The English word "Tartar" comes via the Latin. Because the Romans considered the Taatatrs-the Central Asian Turkic nomads--savage, they inserted an "r" in their name, thereby linking them with Tartarus, or Hell. Even in our day, the idea of barbarism underlies the names of these foods. In the case of Steak Tartare, legend holds that the fierce horsemen of the Golden Horde tenderized their meat by packing it under their saddles. When they retrieved the meat, now so tenderized from the saddle's friction that they could eat it raw, as befits barbarians,. In fact, there is no historical evidence that the Tatars ate raw meat. More often than not, they boiled meat for soups and stews, as they still do today, or placed it on skewers to grill, or minced it to fill rounds of dough that they fried. Nevertheless, the myth lives on. As for Tartar sauce, the Tatars were certainly not eating mayonnaise int he fourteenth century!"
---"Scratch Russian Cuisine," Darra Goldstein, Russian Life, September/October 2005 (p. 61)
"Steak tartare is raw steak (beef or horsemeat), chopped and seasoned and presented with accompaniments such as onion, parsley, and capers, often with a raw egg yolk as a finishing touch. In Belgium, particularly in Flanders, it is known as filet americain. The origins of steak tartare are weighted with myth, usually involving the Russians learning the dish from their Tatar conquerors, then exporting it to Europe via German contacts in the 19th century. American scholars suggest it reached their shores through German migrants, figuring on German-American restaurant menus...It was first known in France in the late 19th century. The first citation in the OED [Oxford English Dictionary] is for 1911."
---Oxford Companion to Food, Alan Davidson [Oxford University Press:Oxford] 2nd edition, 2006 (p. 786-7)
[1935]
"Steak a la Tartare
Tartare steak is another chopped steak, and you find it on a majority of a la carte bills of fare. It is so seldom called for, however, that many cooks are "up in the air" when they get an order for it, never having served it, even after years of service as a cook. This steak is served raw, and should be made of tenderloin. Cut the meat finely, season with salt or pepper, rather highly. Add some fine chopped onions, and bind with a little egg yolk. Mold for platter service. Indent the center and in the hollow so made place an unbroken raw egg yolk. Garnish with lettuce leaf, scattered capers, onion rings soaked in vinegar, and fancy cuts of spiced beets and pickles."
---The Hotel Butcher, Garde Manger and Carver, Frank Rivers [Hotel Monthly Press:Chicago] 1935 (p. 23)
Current food experts tell us eating raw beef and raw eggs is hazardous to your health. This information is uploaded for informational/historical purposes only. Do not try this recipe.
Why is steak tartare called steak (filet, beefsteak) Americaine in some countries?
It's not. The French have developed a rich and complex vocabulary when it comes to the culinary arts. For these chefs, and those in neighboring countries, two recipes are similar but not synonymous. The earliest examples we find are from Escoffier. Unfortunately, he chose not to enlighten us with regards to the American connection. The classic 1961 edition of Larousse Gastronomique notes in the entry for Beefsteak a l'americaine "This dish is often prescribed in a building-up diet." (p. 120).
[1903]
"Beefsteak a l'Americaine. Cut off a piece of the head of the fillet, remove any fat or sinew and finely chop the flesh, seasoning it with salt and pepper...
Beefsteak a la Tartare. Prepare the steak as for Beefsteak a l'Americaine but without the egg yolk on top. Serve Sauce Tartare separately."
---The Complete Guide to the Art of Modern Cookery, Escoffier, first translation into English by H.L. Cracknell and R.J. Kaufmann of Le Guide Culinaire in its entirety [John Wiley:New York] 1979 (p. 278-9)
Madame E. Saint-Ange (La Bonne Cuisine, circa 1929) notes "Steak Tartar is a culinary fantasy made of raw ingredients." She does not offer any other information regarding the origin of the name, nor does she offer a recipe for Steak A L'Americaine.
"Tartare has two culinary applications in English, both of them inspired by the supposed fitness of the Tatar people of central Asia."
---An A-Z of Food & Drink, John Ayto [Oxford Univeristy Press:Oxford] 2002 (p. 338)
"One of the great old food legends, right up there with the tale of an English king dubbing a particular cut of meat "Sir Loin," is the one about Mongol horsemen (sometimes Huns) supposedly sticking steaks under their saddles before riding off to war. Thus tenderized, the story goes, the steaks could be cooked quickly, and from this, it continues, descends the dish of raw chopped beef we call steak tartare. A Berkeley, Calif., scholar named John Masson Smith notes that there's no reference to this practice in Chinese historical records, and medieval observers in the Middle East never wrote anything about it either. Smith says there's a theory that European observers got this idea because central Asian nomads do sometimes put pieces of meat on horses' backs. But the reason they do it is to lubricate and soothe their mounts' sores, much as Americans put a piece of beefsteak on a black eye. They don't eat the "tenderized steaks" afterward. Traditionally, Turkish nomads such as the Huns and Tatars didn't even eat steak as such. They would cut meat in small pieces for shish kebab or mince it fine for frying, or they'd boil it, so the toughness issue scarcely arose. As for the Mongols, they cooked nearly everything by boiling. "
---"Steak tenderizing legends have been marinated in myth," Chicago Tribune, May 16, 2001 (p.7A)
"The English word "Tartar" comes via the Latin. Because the Romans considered the Taatatrs-the Central Asian Turkic nomads--savage, they inserted an "r" in their name, thereby linking them with Tartarus, or Hell. Even in our day, the idea of barbarism underlies the names of these foods. In the case of Steak Tartare, legend holds that the fierce horsemen of the Golden Horde tenderized their meat by packing it under their saddles. When they retrieved the meat, now so tenderized from the saddle's friction that they could eat it raw, as befits barbarians,. In fact, there is no historical evidence that the Tatars ate raw meat. More often than not, they boiled meat for soups and stews, as they still do today, or placed it on skewers to grill, or minced it to fill rounds of dough that they fried. Nevertheless, the myth lives on. As for Tartar sauce, the Tatars were certainly not eating mayonnaise int he fourteenth century!"
---"Scratch Russian Cuisine," Darra Goldstein, Russian Life, September/October 2005 (p. 61)
"Steak tartare is raw steak (beef or horsemeat), chopped and seasoned and presented with accompaniments such as onion, parsley, and capers, often with a raw egg yolk as a finishing touch. In Belgium, particularly in Flanders, it is known as filet americain. The origins of steak tartare are weighted with myth, usually involving the Russians learning the dish from their Tatar conquerors, then exporting it to Europe via German contacts in the 19th century. American scholars suggest it reached their shores through German migrants, figuring on German-American restaurant menus...It was first known in France in the late 19th century. The first citation in the OED [Oxford English Dictionary] is for 1911."
---Oxford Companion to Food, Alan Davidson [Oxford University Press:Oxford] 2nd edition, 2006 (p. 786-7)
[1935]
"Steak a la Tartare
Tartare steak is another chopped steak, and you find it on a majority of a la carte bills of fare. It is so seldom called for, however, that many cooks are "up in the air" when they get an order for it, never having served it, even after years of service as a cook. This steak is served raw, and should be made of tenderloin. Cut the meat finely, season with salt or pepper, rather highly. Add some fine chopped onions, and bind with a little egg yolk. Mold for platter service. Indent the center and in the hollow so made place an unbroken raw egg yolk. Garnish with lettuce leaf, scattered capers, onion rings soaked in vinegar, and fancy cuts of spiced beets and pickles."
---The Hotel Butcher, Garde Manger and Carver, Frank Rivers [Hotel Monthly Press:Chicago] 1935 (p. 23)
Current food experts tell us eating raw beef and raw eggs is hazardous to your health. This information is uploaded for informational/historical purposes only. Do not try this recipe.
Why is steak tartare called steak (filet, beefsteak) Americaine in some countries?
It's not. The French have developed a rich and complex vocabulary when it comes to the culinary arts. For these chefs, and those in neighboring countries, two recipes are similar but not synonymous. The earliest examples we find are from Escoffier. Unfortunately, he chose not to enlighten us with regards to the American connection. The classic 1961 edition of Larousse Gastronomique notes in the entry for Beefsteak a l'americaine "This dish is often prescribed in a building-up diet." (p. 120).
[1903]
"Beefsteak a l'Americaine. Cut off a piece of the head of the fillet, remove any fat or sinew and finely chop the flesh, seasoning it with salt and pepper...
Beefsteak a la Tartare. Prepare the steak as for Beefsteak a l'Americaine but without the egg yolk on top. Serve Sauce Tartare separately."
---The Complete Guide to the Art of Modern Cookery, Escoffier, first translation into English by H.L. Cracknell and R.J. Kaufmann of Le Guide Culinaire in its entirety [John Wiley:New York] 1979 (p. 278-9)
Madame E. Saint-Ange (La Bonne Cuisine, circa 1929) notes "Steak Tartar is a culinary fantasy made of raw ingredients." She does not offer any other information regarding the origin of the name, nor does she offer a recipe for Steak A L'Americaine.