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Beef Stroganoff |
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Beef Stroganoff or Beef-Stroganov (in Russian:
Бефстроганов Befstróganov) is a Russian dish of sautéed pieces of beef served in
a sauce with sour cream. |
From its origins in 19th-century Russia, it has become
popular in much of Iran, Europe, North America, Australia, South Africa, Lebanon
and Brazil, with considerable variation in the actual recipe.
Various explanations are given for the name, presumably
derived from some member of the large and important Stroganov family, perhaps
Alexander Grigorievich Stroganoff of Odessa or a diplomat, Count Pavel
Stroganov.
Elena Molokhovets' classic Russian cookbook (1861) gives the
first known recipe for Govjadina po-strogonovski, s gorchitseju "Beef à la
Stroganov, with mustard" which involves lightly floured beef cubes (not strips)
sautéed, sauced with prepared mustard and bouillon, and finished with a small
amount of sour cream: no onions, no mushrooms. A 1912 recipe adds onions and tomato paste and serves it with crisp potato
straws, which are considered the traditional side dish in Russia.
The version
given in the 1938 Larousse Gastronomique includes beef strips, and onions, with
either mustard or tomato paste optional.
After the fall of Imperial Russia, the recipe was popularly served in the hotels
and restaurants of China before the start of the Second World War. Russian and
Chinese immigrants, as well as U.S. servicemen stationed in pre-Communist China,
brought several variants of the dish to the United States, which may account for
its popularity during the 1950s. It came to Hong Kong in the late fifties with
Russian restaurants and hotels serving the dish with rice but not sour cream. In
the version often prepared in the USA today in restaurants and hotels it
consists of strips of beef filet with a mushroom, onion, and sour cream sauce
and served over rice or noodles.
In the UK and Australia a recipe very similar to that
commonly found in the USA has become popular, generally served with rice.
British pubs usually serve the dish to a creamy white wine style recipe, whereas
more 'authentic' strogonoffs are often red stews with a scoop of sour cream
separately served on top.
Beef stroganoff is also very popular in Brazil and Portugal, under the name
"estrogonofe" or "Strogonoff". The Brazilian variant includes diced beef or
strips of beef (usually filet mignon) with tomato sauce, onions, mushrooms and
heavy whipping cream. Stroganoff is also often made with strips of chicken
breast rather than beef (also called Fricassee in some restaurants in Brazil).
It is commonly served with crisp potato straws, as in Russia, but with the
addition of white rice. Sometimes one can also see creative servings of
estrogonofe, such as a crepe filling, a topping for baked potatoes, or on
pizzas. It is so popular among Brazil's urban middle class that there are
fast-food chains dedicated to it in the food courts of many Brazilian shopping
malls. Many recipes and variations exist: with or without wine, with canned
sweet corn, with ketchup instead of tomato sauce, etc.
