Steak tartare has a colourful history, says LYNN BAIN, who is sticking firmly to the modern French interpretation. Not a Mongol or any horse meat to be seen anywhere on this page, we promise.
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Legend has it that steak tartare’s origins date back to the Tartars, Turkish nomads who merged with the armies of the Mongol leader Ghengis Khan in the early 13th century.
Supposedly, the Mongol riders placed slabs of horse meat under their saddles and ate the pulverised meat raw after a long day of soldiering.
A tastier (and more hygienic) theory is the dish evolved from the French Polynesian tradition of raw meat consumption combined with a classic French sauce.
There are more theories, but the bottom line is this is a dish made with raw meat — usually beef, but there is a tradition in Europe of using horse meat.
You could substitute any of the items in the ingredients list (with the exception of the meat, egg yolk and olive oil) with something else or simply leave them out completely.
For example, over time I have substituted half a small onion for the golden shallots, a bit of a gherkin for the cornichons, all sorts of mustards for the French mustard, tarragon for the parsley and even brined pink peppercorns for the capers, depending on what I had available.
Each tartare is different, each is delicious in their own way.
Handy hint one: Capers can come in either wine vinegar or packed in salt. If using the wine vinegar ones, then draining them well will suffice. If you are using the salted ones, then rinse them well in water to remove the salt coating before draining them.
Handy hint two: Toast for serving heaped portions of the tartare? Your choice. Toasted/grilled pita bread, toasted baguette, toasted bagel or sourdough? All are good options. My preference is for oven-toasted thick toast, toasted on one side only.
Handy hint three: I have found the best (easiest) way to mix the meat and ingredients together is with a pair of clean hands.