History of Steak Tartare, a Culinary Treasure on Horseback

             

The steak tartar had been a haute cuisine recipe, elaborated in sophisticated restaurants that could, for example, afford to finish in the dining room this preparation based on raw minced meat —not ground—, Perrins sauce, salt, pepper, egg yolk and some acid counterpoint such as mustard or vinegar.
In 1206, a leader unifies the tribes of Mongolia under his power. His name was Genghis Khan. Under his command, the Mongols initiated one of the most extensive empires in history, a domain that was based on the magnificent expertise of its riders. The Tartars were part of this great empire, in the central and northern part of the Asian continent. They were riding masters and fearsome warriors, the special forces of the Khan. Their long days did not allow them to spend the night or eat sitting peacefully. Therefore, they were designed to preserve and consume raw meat.
Genghis Khan
The first written reference to this trend leads us to China and Kublai Khan, grandson of Genghis, who dominated China and Mongolia during the thirteenth century. In his books about his fascinating trips to Asia, Marco Polo narrated the local customs, in many cases imposed by the Mongol invaders of which the Great Khan would be the last exponent.
In his Book of Wonders, he devotes an episode to the Caragian region, dominated by Esentemur, a leader son of the Khan. In it he describes how the humble social classes prepared the raw liver of chickens, lambs and buffalos. Although, the real tartare was devoured with passion by the nobles who stayed with the tastiest parts of the animal to flavor it with garlic sauce and spices.
Marco Polo spoke in his Travel Book from a custom in the province of Caraigan (Yunnan in present-day China) that the locals had to consume raw meat. The less privileged classes they consumed the less noble parts of the animal, whether it was mutton, cow or buffalo, taking the liver and other viscera with a garlic sauce, cut more or less roughly, and seasoned with that dressing.
Similarly, the upper classes of Caraigan did the same but with more elegant and higher quality cuts, as explained in chapter CXIX of the aforementioned book, but also seasoned with spices, garlic and also finely chopped.
Ukrainian Version
Here the name of the recipe associated with the Tartars appears for the first time and, more specifically, to the Zaporozhian Cossacks, which occupied a large part of the lower Dnieper River (in what is now western Ukraine, in the Donbas area, in dispute with Russia, and whose historical relevance is fundamental throughout Eastern Europe, mainly for their wars against Lithuanians, Poles and even against Kievan Rus (considered the beginning of Russian national identity).
Nomads by definition, the Tatars were excellent horsemen and its origins are located at the beginning of the year 1,000 AD in the Mongolian steppes, where they would depart within the hosts of the great Khans in the conquest of the West (Siberia, Central Asia, Russia and Eastern Europe).
Already assimilated in Europe, centuries later, Cossacks consider themselves natural heirs of the Tatars, today a very heterogeneous group that serves to mention the Turkic peoples of Eastern Europe and Siberia.
Their customs, evidently changed, also include different religious creeds —there are Orthodox Christian Tatars and Sunni Muslim Tatars— and of various ethnic groups, including Tatars with Mongoloid features —in Central Asia— and Slavic and Caucasian features in Europe.
after a while between the horse’s back and the leather, the fillet was sufficiently tanned, bled and macerated, which allowed —after the relevant washing of the meat— to be consumed completely free of blood.
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These wickers were also recovered by the writer Julio Verne, which alludes to the steak tartare or steak tartare in the novel Michael Strogoff, the famous mail of the tsar. From then on, due to the success of the writer, the name of the recipe began to become popular to the point of entering a recipe book as illustrious as the Larousse Gastronomic Dictionary of 1938, edited by the gastronome Prosper Montagné.
The Grandfather of the Hamburger
The recipe survived and arrived in Hamburg by sailors who start using minced meat in the style of the ancient Mongols. Although they end up cooking it, their creation ended up being called the hamburger.
The precursor of the burger conquered the west by the hand of Jules Verne and his novel of 1875, Miguel Strogoff, the czar’s mail. It echoed the tartare recipe and created a satisfying demand in the best bistros in Germany. The most iconic, located on the second floor of the Eiffel Tower, is the Jules Verne. Alejandro Dumas also included it in his book The Count of Montecristo and Honore de Balzac wrote about steak tartare shortly after.
París in Belle Epoque
Russian Version
The jury is still out, but it's believed steak tartare (also known as beef tartare) originated in the Baltic provinces of Russia where, in medieval times, the Tatars shredded red meat with a knife and ate it raw while on horseback to avoid stopping to cook meals. 
Others believe the dish was originally prepared in French restaurants near the beginning of the 20th century and was known as steak à l'Americaine.
What remains factual is that the dish is popular throughout Western, Central, and Eastern Europe, if not worldwide in one guise or another.
In Belgium, it is served with fries and in Denmark and Germany, it is often served on rye bread. Italians call their version of this dish carne cruda. When the tende n is thinly sliced and not ground, it is known as Italian Carpaccio.
French Version  -The Love of Paris for Raw Meat
The dish becomes the star of the French capital and is widely recommended by the leading chefs of the best hotels and by the butchers of the city at the beginning of the 20th century. Paris is currently living a period of internationalization of its stoves and explores recipes around the world.
The tartare is called at that time, BeefSteak to the Americaine. It is curious that the dish did not reach the American market until the 1950s, but in Paris imported more attractive naming than its origin.
The first recipe for steak tartare appeared in 1938 when Prosper Montagné included it in the bible of gastronomy, the Larousse Gastronomique encyclopedia. Another similar dish has attracted the attention of diners with a fascinating history and many parallels with the steak tartare. It is called the kibbeh nayre, a dish native to Lebanon and Syria. It has become popular in Argentina and Uruguay due to immigration from the Middle East in the area.
Places like the aforementioned Jules Verne, the kistch bistro Parisian Bar des Theaters or its neighbor Les Fines Guelues, the Buenos Aires La Cabaña and Casa Cruz, the Valencian Auska Barra, the New Yorker and jazzman Sardi’s, Estela, also in NYC, or the sublime ones, Princess Victoria, Bird of Smithfield and London’s Brasserie Blanc Chancery Lane are some of the top places where this thousand-year-old wonder can be savored. Since its inception on the mounts of the Tartars has traveled a fascinating path to your table. The Khan’s greatest legacy awaits you in the finest restaurants.
Polish Version
BEFSZYK TATARSKI (STEAK TARTARE)
Befszyk Tatarski (Steak Tartare) is popular in Poland, so much so that you can buy commercially prepared packets for ground beef for tatar.
The history of Befszyk Tatarski or Steak Tartare, of course, has a couple of interesting stories. The tale with the most Polish roots says that the dish is named after the Tatars (Mongols) nomadic horsemen who often raided Poland, but in 1410 sided with the Polish at the Battle of Grunwald.
Legend has it that the Tatars would place raw meat under their saddle to tenderize it, and later slice it up to eat raw because they had no time to stop and cook their meat.
The second version has the dish originating in France about 1900. It didn’t really catch on until the 1950s.
Beefsteack à l’Américaine as it was called originally became Beefsteack à la Tartare, for the tartar sauce that was served with the raw beef. Whatever the story, Tatar will bring out strong reactions.
Our usually adventurous gastronome friends, were put off to find out what wasn’t cooking at our house the night we made Tatar. Only one friend, a big fan of anchovies, has had a positive reaction. So choose your dinner guests carefully.

The key ingredients are ground or finely diced beef tenderloin (filet mignon), egg yolk (if you don’t eat raw cookie dough, you may want to find pasteurized eggs), salt, pepper, something pickled (pickles, capers, or both), something onion-y (red onion- better raw, shallots, green onion, leek, chives), maybe mushrooms. It might be served with bread or alongside fried potatoes or salad.
 

Steak Tartare: Gourmet Cheeseburger
Steak tartare forms the base of this most decadent gourmet cheeseburger.
Prep Time 30 minutes
Cook Time 2 minutes
Total Time 32 minutes
Servings 2
Ingredients
For steak tartare
300 grams top quality filet of beef coarsely ground
1 large egg yolk
1 tablespoon of minced shallots
1 tablespoon of minced capers
1 tablespoon of minced cornichons
1 teaspoon of Dijon mustard
1 tablespoon of Worcestershire sauce
1 tablespoon of olive oil
Chopped tarragon and flat leaf parsley
Salt and pepper
A shot of Cognac
For truffle mayo
50 grams of mayonnaise home-made is pretty much essential
A few grams of truffles very finely chopped
A drop of truffle oil optional
For tomato relish
1 large shallot chopped
1 clove of garlic finely chopped
Fresh red chili to taste, deseeded and chopped
250 grams of tomatoes deseeded and chopped
1 tablespoon of brown sugar
1 tablespoon of sherry vinegar
For final delivery
One piece of fairly thick cut French style bread per person toasted or, better yet, pan-fried in butter, you decide
A handful of baby salad greens lightly dressed in olive oil and sherry vinegar
Freshly shaved Parmesan cheese
Instructions
Truffle mayo
Stir finely chopped truffles into mayo.
If needed, add a few drops of truffle oil. (Careful, it’s potent stuff!)
Add a few grinds of quality black pepper.
Cover and set aside till needed.
Tomato relish
Heat oil in a small pan or pot over medium heat.
Add onions and sauté until soft.
Add garlic and chili, sauté for a minute or two.
Turn heat to medium-low, stir in tomatoes and cook for about ten minutes.
Add salt, pepper, sherry vinegar and sugar, cook stirring infrequently until vinegar is nearly evaporated.
Let cool then taste for seasoning, set aside till needed.
Steak tartare
Thoroughly mix all ingredients except for beef, salt, pepper and Cognac in a bowl.
Add beef and stir to combine, add salt, pepper and Cognac and taste for seasoning.
Add more Worcestershire, salt, pepper or mustard as needed.
To serve
Smear toasted crouton with a thin layer of truffle mayo.
Form patty out of steak tartare and place on top of crouton.
Top with baby greens dressed in olive oil and sherry vinegar.
Add some generous shavings of Parmesan.
Garnish with truffle mayo and tomato relish on the side.
Recipe Notes
If fresh truffles are not in season, or too damn expensive for your budget, you can use shaved truffles preserved in olive oil or similar. They're affordable but do not pack as much punch as fresh truffles. Add a drop or two of truffle oil to compensate.