Steak tartare
From Free net encyclopedia
Steak tartare is a meat dish made from finely chopped, or ground raw beef. It is often served with onions, capers and seasonings (the latter typically incorporating fresh ground pepper and Worcestershire sauce), and sometimes with raw egg. In the past, any restaurant that served hamburgers had the ability to prepare steak tartare even if it was not specifically mentioned on the menu.
Health concerns have decreased the popularity of this meat dish because of the danger of contamination by bacteria and other organisms. Cooking until the chopped meat is no longer pink is a sure way of killing almost all undesired organisms, but it is contrary to the preparation of this food item.
The basis of the name is the legend that Tatars did not have time to cook and thus ate their meat raw while remaining mounted on horses. Steak tartare is now regarded as a gourmet dish.
The dish is especially popular in Belgium, where it is known as Filet américain or American fillet. It is eaten as a main course, typically accompanied with fries. The preparation of the meat is either done by the waiter, table-side, or by the customer himself or herself. Filet américain is also sold by butchers as a sandwich dressing; it comes either unprepared (raw ground lean beef) or prepared (with eggs, seasonings, etc.)