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Comment by winter_blue | Hacker News Reader

I knew someone (a French person) who was a massive fan of tartare. Tartare is basically raw meat. He'd go to expensive tartare restaurants (in Paris), where hygienically-raised cows were killed, and the meat cut out and served, all in the same day. He described tartare as being the best thing ever. (I've never tried it.)

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Steak tartare is also popular in Hungary, where it's called Tatár beefsteak. I still think it sometimes looks disgusting but I admit I love to eat it once in a while. (And any version worth eating is fairly expensive, since you should be using very good beef.)

The catch, for anyone who's never tried it, is that you're not just eating raw meat, you're eating finely chopped raw meat and butter and egg yolk and onion and toast etc.

Now I'm wondering what animals we do eat raw in America other than oysters and (if you know where to go) other sea creatures that might be alive when served.

I had it once when I was in Germany in 1989. It tasted like raw hamburger. I didn't much care for it but de gustibus non est disputandum.

This is really more common than many north americans think. Crudo, tartare, carpaccio, sashimi, etc. Cow, fish, horse, buffalo, etc. Some are raw & seasoned, some lightly cured (e.g. ceviche)

I'm french and yes "steak tartare" is quite common in restaurants (mostly in what we call "bistrot"). There is often a raw yolk on top.

In Germany and surrounding countries it is very common to eat raw minced pork meat (Mett) on bread/buns.

I seem to recall this was breakfast fare.

It is indeed. (Or dinner - we do sandwiches for breakfast and dinner)

This reminds me of my favorite classic internet cartoon about tapeworms, "The Worm Within". https://fray.com/drugs/worm/

I had a middle eastern variant (kibbeh or something?) here in Sydney and it was loaded with spices and tasted great. I am not a fan of raw meat for texture reasons usually though.

I have tried it by accident.

It was delicious...but if I ate it too fast I would gag.

Yes, seeing there "steak" and ordering it without knowing it's "raw" is a very common mistakes for tourists in France.

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