Quite a lot of words of the Russian language have several meanings. This is no exception! What is tartar? In fact, if the word is capitalized (and the stress is on the first syllable), then Tartarus is the place where, according to Greek mythology, Zeus overthrew the Titans and Kronos. According to Hesiod, there were also cyclops. But in cooking, another meaning of the word "tartar" (with emphasis on the last syllable) is used - the name of the French sauce and the corresponding dish. We will talk about this in more detail in our article.
French cuisine: what is tartare?
Moreover, here it can’t do without some confusion, since this word denotes several options for dishes. Superiority - for a specific sauce, mainly for fish dishes. And over time, the name is already attached to raw beef steak and other dishes prepared using similar technologies.
Sauce: a bit of history
What is tartar? It can be attributed to the traditional sauces of the national cuisine of France. The name clearly shows Tatar roots from the hand of Louis the 9th, who saw the connection of warlike Tatars with ancient hell. But the French cooks, of course, had a rather vague idea of the Tatars themselves. So, in those days it was believed that the favorite foods of the Tatars are raw beef and lightly salted cucumbers. The French say that the name of the sauce itself arose, in which pickles and capers were added. The sauce itself was a rather spicy seasoning. A dish with an exotic name was gaining popularity, spreading all over the world.
How to make tartare (sauce)
By consistency, it looks like mayonnaise, so many people think that this seasoning is prepared on a mayonnaise basis, to which pickles, finely chopped, are added. But such a perception is not completely true. Of course, the sauce is made from egg yolks, but they are used boiled. What is tartar (sauce) in its classic version? We divide the boiled eggs into proteins and yolks. The latter are thoroughly rubbed with salt, pouring vegetable oil (in a traditional French recipe - olive) in a thin stream, adding lemon juice and ground pepper. Finely chopped green onions, garlic, pickled cucumbers, capers (sometimes olives) are added at the last stage, when the whipped sauce has already acquired a delicate texture. Some add a drop of mustard. You can, of course, make tartare with a blender, but the whole relish and originality of the classic tartare in its heterogeneity. So all processes are best done manually. The sauce goes well with fish dishes and seafood, fried potatoes, some meat dishes.
