What Exactly Is Steak Tartare?

It's no joke that Americans love their beef. Whether we're consuming their beef in the form of elegant New York steaks, crumbled onto pizza, or as a slider, it's clear that this is a favorite. But in our seemingly boundless love for beefy meals, there does seem to be one intimidating exception: steak tartare. This "steak" goes beyond rare. Rather, it's chopped raw beef that never touches a stove; what's more, it's also typically adorned with a raw egg. It comes to the table as a pile of red meat, sometimes pre-mixed with its ingredients, and sometimes separated to let the diner take fate into their own hands. This may make the average diner's skin crawl, and for seemingly good reason. After all, haven't we been taught to fear raw meat?

For those who have doubts, McGill University assures us that we can put most worries aside, assuming we trust both the butcher and the restaurant to keep things clean. Steak tartare is a staple of fine dining and must be made with the highest quality of beef from healthy animals, further lowering the risk of illness. As Forbes notes, Americans are only now warming up to raw meat. As our minds and palates expand, there are sure to be more opportunities to enjoy this historic dish. Here's everything you need to know about steak tartare.

In modern times, steak tartare has come to be associated with fine French cuisine. However, it was long believed that the dish really came to France by way of the Mongols, once also known as the Tatars. As the tale goes, as the Mongol empire expanded from east to west, so too did their love for all cuisine chevaline. Mongols reportedly stored slices of horse meat underneath their saddles, as per the New York Times. The motion of the animal would tenderize the meat throughout the day, making it ready by the time dinner came around. Yet this theory has largely been debunked, as it's believed that the tenderized meat was largely inedible and used for other purposes, such as soothing a horse's saddle sores.

Nonetheless, there could still be some truth behind the story. As Showmoon notes, the Mongolians did have a taste for raw meat and it's likely that their dietary habits were adopted throughout their expanding empire. It could very well be that steak tartare inspired the hamburger in Germany! Whether or not this is true, it is clear that steak tartare is a dish that has been beloved by many for a very long time.

Adding to the steak tartare confusion is the fact that the name doesn't necessarily have anything to do with the dish's alleged point of origin. Vogue completely dismisses the idea that the name is linked to the Tatar people and instead points to another candidate: tartar sauce. 

Tartar sauce, otherwise known as sauce tartare, is made by mixing mayonnaise with chopped pickles and onions (via Recipe Tips). While the sauce is most often associated with seafood dishes, it's not hard to see why it would have once accompanied, and perhaps even defined, steak tartare. 

Vogue notes that sauce tartare had its heyday in the 19th century when it was widely used in French cuisine. However, the Auguste Escoffier School of Culinary Arts notes that despite this ultra popularity, sauce tartare is rarely used in conjunction with steak tartare today, which has become a truly deconstructed dish. Steak tartare is typically served with raw egg, chopped onions, capers, Tabasco and Worcestershire sauce, and salt and pepper to taste. There is some room for enthusiasts to tailor their tartare while still adhering to the classic experience.

While nowadays steak tartare conjures up images of luxury dining, at one point it was considered downright medicinal. Steak tartare was considered so healthful that it was even recommended for hospital patients. "Cookery for Invalids" refers to the dish as "hamburg steak." According to the Charbar Co, hamburg steak consisted of raw minced beef mixed with spices, and can thus be considered synonymous with steak tartare. 

But make no mistake, as "Cookery for Invalids" makes no suggestion of cooking the beef. Instead, the author recommends processing the meat into a kind of paste, supposedly making it easier for patients to digest. The dish should look like it's cooked, though it's difficult to imagine that many patients were fooled. Today, even though steak tartare is enjoyed in many a fine restaurant and butcher shop, it will most likely never come with a doctor's recommendation.

Okay, we want to make it clear that there is nothing appetizing about cannibalism. However, maybe the fine people of Wisconsin may disagree — at least when it comes to sandwiches. Of all the unique names that steak tartare has been graced with, the Midwest's "cannibal sandwich" takes the cake– or, uh, hand. According to the Wisconsin Historical Society, a cannibal sandwich comes with all the trappings that steak tartare is known for but a few key differences. For one, the tartare must be pre-mixed. The concoction is then served on a thick slice of rye bread and open-faced. This meal is most often found at holiday parties. Just as a rose by any other name smells as sweet, the sandwich can also be found under less-controversial names, such as tiger meat.

Beloved as it may be by some, this dish has still encountered controversy. As per Wisconsin Public Radio, not everyone in Wisconsin can stomach the idea of raw meat. Perhaps the cannibal sandwich even edges out the infamous fruitcake as the state's most unappetizing dish on the Christmas table. Nonetheless, WPR asserts that, beyond the controversy, the dish is a piece of Wisconsin history and culture that is well worth preserving.

Las Vegas is a place of both luxury and ingenuity, so of course, there are going to be some seriously decadent culinary delights available in Sin City. Las Vegas Magazine noted that there's no shortage of mouth-watering tartare available in the city that can seriously make or break a dining experience there.

At Bazaar Meat, headed by chef José Andrés, steak tartare is a straightforward yet indulgent dish that's further elevated by the choice of meat. The restaurant opts for sirloin paired with the French Savora mustard, as well as a medley of sauce, and warm rolls. One Tripadvisor review says that this steak tartare can't be defined by words alone; instead, it must be tried. According to the restaurant's official menu, plant-based friends can even opt for the beefsteak tomato tartare so they can join in on the dining fun.

Despite steak tartare's long history and consistent popularity, there's still room for misunderstandings. In 2021, chef Dominick Purnomo of Albany's dp, An American Brasserie,  turned to TikTok after a customer reportedly sent back their tartare because it was too raw. In the video, Purnomo threw the tartar into a frying pan and began to cook it. It was unclear whether or not the cooked beef made its way back to the customer's table, or if the diner actually went ahead and ate the very altered tartare. The chef's reaction soon went viral, with the short video racking up millions of likes and views.

The comment section of the video was surprisingly diverse, as some suffered along with the chef and lamented the diner's ignorance. Others said that the diner's misstep was the result of ignorance, but that the critiques were steeped in classism.