What is Beef Stroganoff?

Beef is one of the widely used kinds of meat in different countries around the world. It is very tender and flavorful that you can use it to make stock, soups, flavor vegetable dishes and more. It can spice up the dull and boring and make it better. One of these recipes is beef stroganoff.

What is beef stroganoff? Beef stroganoff is a Russian recipe that originated in 19th century Russia. In Russia, beef is a staple. So they use it for their cuisine. You may be wondering why it is called beef stroganoff. Some explanations states that it came from the Stroganov family of Russia, Alexander Grigorievich Stroganoff of Odessa or maybe Count Pavel Stroganoff. But it does not matter where the name stroganoff came from the important thing is that it is one of the most cherished Russian recipes that has been adopted by different nations due to its creamy taste and beefy flavor. In 1861, the cookbook Govjadina po-strogonovski published the first recipe called beef a la stroganov with mustard.

It is a recipe which includes beef cubes not beef strips as we know it today. This old recipe does not include mushrooms and onions as well. It is simply beef and the creamy sour cream sauce. During 1912, a new recipe emerges and this one has onions, tomato paste and it is served with potato straws. The use of beef strips instead of chunks was imposed by Larousse Gastronomique in 1938. And it finally reached the new world in 1950.

During the Second World War, beef stroganoff has already reached China and it has been served in many exclusive hotels and restaurants. That is also the time when the Chinese created their version of the dish in which they do not add sour cream but they top it on rice. In United Kingdom, they use a white wine based creamy sauce to compliment the beef flavor rather than the original sour cream.

In Brazil, they have a version with tomato sauce, onions and mushrooms and the white sauce is a heavy cream based. In Iran, beef stroganoff is made with beef strips sautéed with onions and mushrooms and mixed with cream. To cook the original recipe, all you need to do is to sauté the onions and mushrooms in butter until the onions are soft. Add the beef and sauté for 5 minutes. Add the sour cream and simmer under low heat for 10 minutes. And that is it, your authentic beef stroganoff recipe.

Today, we enjoy beef stroganoff anywhere and there are hundreds of ways of cooking it. From the humble Russian kitchens to the most posh restaurants, beef stroganoff has made it worldwide. Countries all over the globe are creating ways to make this dish fit their cuisine. They call it in different ways; add different spices and topping it in almost anything. No one can resist the charms of a big bowl of rice, mashed potatoes or pasta with beef stroganoff on top.