For the sauce, see Tartar sauce. The name tartare is sometimes generalized to other raw meat or fish dishes. In France, a seared tuna steak-common variant called tartare aller-retour is a mound of mostly raw ground meat lightly seared on both sides. A popular caricature of Mongol warriors—called Tatars or Tartars—has them tenderizing meat under their saddles, then eating it raw.

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. It is not known when the first restaurant recipe for steak tartare appeared. In the early 20th century, what is now generally known as “steak tartare” was called steak à l’Americaine in Europe. It has also been called “Tartar steak” in English. 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 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.

When the basic hygienic rules are followed, and fresh meat is used, the risk of bacterial infection is low. 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. 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, but it is still possible to develop cysticercosis. Steak tartare is found in many European cuisines. It was formerly made of horse meat.

It is usually served with french fries. The meat is ground lean sirloin and has a raw egg yolk in a dimple in the middle. The meat can be premixed with herbs and spices, but usually, the customer is given spices and condiments to add to taste. Steak tartare is typically served with fried wheat rye bread in lard or oil, alternatively, it can be toasted, and raw garlic cloves for rubbing on the bread. Variations of the dish include dressing with buttermilk sauce and salmon roe. Ukrainian version can consist of pickled and salted mushrooms and toasted white bread. Steak tartare is served at many high-end restaurants in the United States.

A popular street food in Mexico, Carne Tártara or Carne Apache is a dish of ground beef cured in lime juice, like a ceviche. Chilean cuisine features a dish of prepared raw beef called crudos. In southern Brazil, influenced by German immigrants, it is known as Hackepeter or Carne de Onça in Curitiba, where this dish is very common and served covered with chives. Ethiopians have long eaten a dish of raw, minced beef called kitfo. Raymond Sokolov, The Cook’s Canon, 2003, ISBN 0-06-008390-5, p.