Polish Steak Tartare (Befszytk Tatarski)

1. Gather the ingredients.

2. In a medium bowl, combine ground or finely chopped beef tenderloin, Polish mustard (or other spicy brown mustard), olive oil, pasteurized egg yolk, finely chopped parsley, and salt and pepper to taste.

3. Form the mixture into a mound and place it on a serving plate.

4. Make a slight indentation in the center of the tartare and garnish by placing a pasteurized egg yolk in it.

5. Surround the tartare with finely chopped onion, finely chopped pickles, capers, and chopped anchovies.

6. Serve immediately, with toast points, if desired.

Origins of Steak Tartare

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 tenderloin is thinly sliced and not ground, it is known as Italian carpaccio.