The dish "Tartar" or "Tatar Steak" (often simply called "Tartar") is a raw minced meat dish, traditionally made with beef. The origins of this dish date back to various influences that blended in European cuisine. The name "Tartar" is often associated with the Tatars, a Turkic-speaking horse-riding people from the Eurasian steppe. Legend has it that the Tatars prepared raw meat under their saddles by pounding it flat, thus tenderizing it.
However, this story is not historically verified and is considered more of a myth. It is more likely that the dish became popular in Central Europe in the 19th century, particularly in Germany, Austria, and France. There, "Steak Tartare" developed as a fine dish made of raw, very finely minced or diced beef, often served with onions, capers, spices, and a raw egg yolk. Tatar is therefore a product of European cuisine, which, although inspired by the supposed historical image of the Tatars, is primarily based on culinary traditions of the 19th century.
