Month: March 2017

Restaurante Grill Maravilla·Blog·2017·March

tartar
1 March, 2017

Origins and evolution of the tartar

The tartar is a preparation that is commonly made of raw meat or fish, macerated with different seasonings, sauces and to which is sometimes added egg.

About its origin, there are basically two theories, and in both the meat is its main ingredient. The first hypothesis states that it is a dish originating in Central Asia, where the well-known tribe of the Tartars placed the meat between the saddle and the back of the horse, so that it softened while they rode. The other theory states that it comes from French Polynesia, where it is common to consume raw meat and was popularized in hotels of French origin in the early twentieth century, a time in which the prestigious chef Auguste Escoffier carries out an update of several sauces, including the tartar sauce.

It is at the beginning of the 21st century when chefs reinvent this recipe and begin to prepare tartar with fish and vegetables, mainly due to the need for culinary innovation and due to the raw beef begins to be consumed with caution due to the known disease of the mad cows. 

Regarding the different ways of fish tartar, the usual choices are the tuna and the salmon where it is incorporated fruity touches like the mango, the orange or the avocado. Some also add tomatoes and some dried fruit like pine nuts. Also, it is frequent to substitute the onion for onion in vinaigrette, capers, etc.

In short, there is an immense variety of ways to prepare a tartar. It is a very fresh dish, requested mostly as a starter, ideal for warm places such as the Canary Islands.

In the Maravilla Restaurant, you can enjoy the two varieties of the tartar made with salmon and fresh Bluefin tuna, as the islands are in the migratory path of this valued fish. Occasionally, we prepare a mango and avocado tartar, two of the representative crops of the municipality of Mogán, in the south of Gran Canaria.