# Steak tartare

Steak tartare or tartar steak is a French dish of raw ground (minced) beef. It is usually served with onions, capers, parsley or chive, salt, pepper, Worcestershire sauce, and other seasonings, often presented separately, to be added to taste. It is commonly served topped with a raw egg yolk. It is similar to the Levantine kibbeh nayyeh, the Turkish çiğ köfte, the German Mett and the Korean yukhoe.
The name tartare is sometimes generalized to other raw meat or fish dishes. In France, a less-common variant called tartare aller-retour is a mound of mostly raw ground meat lightly seared on both sides.

## History
### Tatars and raw meat

A popular caricature of Turco-Mongol warriors—called Tatars or Tartars—has them tenderizing meat under their saddles, then eating it raw. This story was popularized by the French chronicler Jean de Joinville in the 13th century, although he never actually encountered Tatars himself and used the story as a way of showing that the Tartars were uncivilized. It is possible that this story was a confusion originating in the use of thin slices of meat to protect saddle sores from further rubbing. The Cambridge Medieval History says the story was started by early chroniclers who saw Mongol horsemen putting thin slices of raw meat beneath their saddles, but that the meat was meant to help heal the horses' sores rather than fill the men's stomachs. The book notes that the meat would have been impregnated with sweat and uneatable by the end of the day. This has also been considered as the origin of pastirma.

### Popularization of raw meat in Europe and the United States

In the late 19th century, the Hamburg steak became popular on the menus of many restaurants in the port of New York. This kind of fillet was beef minced by hand, lightly salted, and often smoked, and usually served raw in a dish along with onions and bread crumbs. Hamburg steak gained popularity because of its ease of preparation and decreasing cost. This is evident from its detailed description in some of the most popular cookbooks of the day. This preparation style was used by 1887 in some U.S. restaurants and was also used for feeding patients in hospitals; the Hamburg steak was served raw or lightly cooked and was accompanied by a raw egg.
It is not known when the first restaurant recipe for steak tartare appeared. While not providing a clear name, it is possible that the dish was popularized in Paris by restaurateurs who misunderstood Jules Verne's description of "koulbat" ("...a patty of crushed meat and eggs...") in his 1875 novel Michael Strogoff.

### Origins of the name

In the early 20th century, what is now generally known as "steak tartare" was called steak à l'Americaine in Europe. One variation on that dish included serving it with tartar sauce; the 1922 edition of Escoffier's Le Guide Culinaire defines "Steak à la tartare" as "steak à l'Americaine" made without egg yolk, served with tartar sauce on the side. "Steak à la tartare" (literally meaning "served with tartar sauce") was later shortened to "steak tartare" Over time, the distinction between steak à l'Americaine and its tartar-sauce variant disappeared. 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.
"À la tartare" or simply "tartare" can still mean "served with tartar sauce" for some dishes, mostly fried fish. At the same time, the name "tartare" is also sometimes applied to other dishes of raw meats or fish, such as tuna tartare, introduced in 1975 by the restaurant Le Duc in Paris.

## 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 such as Toxoplasma gondii and Taenia saginata.

### Bacteria

According to the World Health Organization, when basic hygienic rules are followed and fresh meat is used, the risk of bacterial infection is low. However, in the United States, ground beef is not typically sold in the expectation that it will be eaten uncooked. The process of grinding beef can introduce any surface pathogens into the interior of the meat, where they pose greater danger. The United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) recommends avoiding uncooked ground beef.

### Parasites

Toxoplasma gondii is a parasite that may be found in raw or undercooked meat. A multicentre case-control study found inadequately cooked or inadequately cured meat as the main risk factor for toxoplasma infection in all centres. Due to the risk of congenital toxoplasmosis in the fetus, pregnant women are advised not to eat raw meat. Latent toxoplasmosis, which lasts a lifetime, has been shown to cause poorer memory in the infected elderly. Latent toxoplasmosis in adults has been thought to, but not proven to, cause psychological effects and lower IQ in some studies.
Taenia saginata (beef tapeworm) may also be acquired via ingestion of undercooked beef. The tapeworm is transmitted to humans via infectious larval cysts found in cattle. People with taeniasis may not know they have a tapeworm infection because the symptoms are usually mild or nonexistent.

## Regional variations
### Europe

Steak tartare is found in many European cuisines.
The Belgian version, filet américain (also known as préparé), is generally made with mayonnaise and seasoned with capers and fresh herbs. It was formerly made of horse meat.
In the Czech Republic and Slovakia, tatarský biftek is found in many restaurants. The meat is ground lean sirloin and served with a raw egg yolk in a central dimple. The meat can be premixed with herbs and spices, but usually the diner is given spices and condiments to add to taste. It is typically served with wheat rye bread fried in lard or oil, or toasted, with raw garlic cloves for rubbing on the bread.
In Poland, steak tartare is known as tatar or befsztyk tatarski and is traditionally served as an appetizer with diced onions, dill pickles, pickled mushrooms, egg yolk, spices, and, optionally, yeast extract or coriander.
In Hungary, steak tartare is known as tatár or tatár bifsztek and is served as an appetizer with diced onions, crushed garlic, egg yolk, mustard, ketchup and spices (black pepper, sweet and hot Hungarian red pepper).
A variant of steak tartare is also present in Danish smørrebrød, where it is served on rugbrød (rye bread) with assorted toppings.
In Slovenia, tatarski biftek can be bought in almost any grocery store. It is a traditional New Year's Eve dish, spread with butter on baked toast, and with the mandatory addition of sliced onions.
In Sweden, steak tartare, råbiff, is usually served with raw egg yolk, raw onions, diced pickled beetroot, and capers.
In Finland, tartarpihvi is served with raw egg yolk, raw onions, pickled and salted cucumbers, and capers. Variations of the dish include dressing with buttermilk sauce and salmon roe.
The Russian version may have pickled and salted mushrooms and toasted white bread.

### North America

Steak tartare is served at many high-end restaurants in the United States.
In Wisconsin, a variation of a steak tartare sandwich called a "cannibal sandwich" is popular among those of German descent; it uses sirloin, rye bread, salt, pepper, and chopped onions.
A popular street food in Mexico, carne tártara or carne apache, is a dish of ground beef cured in lime juice, like a ceviche.

### South America

Chilean cuisine features a dish of prepared raw beef called crudos.
In southern Brazil, German immigrants influenced Hackepeter or carne de onça in Curitiba, where this dish is very common and served covered with chives.

### Africa

Ethiopians have long eaten a dish of raw, minced beef called kitfo.