What is this raw beef dish from Texas or Louisiana?

August 15, 2008 9:50 AM

I can't remember or successfully Google the name of a raw meat dish that may have originated in East Texas or Louisiana. It involved raw ground beef and possibly raw onions, peppers, and maybe egg -- very much like steak tartare. (Another comparison: as with citrus in ceviche, the "heat" of the onions/peppers was supposed to have some effect on the meat.)

It's on the tip of my tongue -- I think it started with a P and sounded vaguely like it could be a girl's name, but I don't want to lead anyone astray. I think it was eaten with bread or crackers. I was quite young and didn't like the idea, though I suspect I would love it now, if I only knew what it was!

posted by fiercecupcake to food & drink (11 comments total)

Carpaccio?
posted by fritley at 9:56 AM on August 15, 2008

Annnnnnnd my mom called five minutes ago and she REMEMBERED. It's parisa. She said some smokehouse outside of Hondo (oops, I had the wrong branch of the family tree) started making it awhile back and that she thought it was some sort of Black Forest thing. We'll see. Let the Googling commence.
posted by fiercecupcake at 10:06 AM on August 15, 2008

Parisa in Castroville, Hondo, and Quihi.

Another recipe.

There's plenty more out there -- it's apparently an Alsatian thing. Anyone seen it anywhere else or know what I'm talking about?
posted by fiercecupcake at 10:09 AM on August 15, 2008

My Grandpa, who was of German descent, used to make something similar to this. The only ingredient I don't remember him using was the peppers (but I was very young at the time); I do remember raw onions, egg and salt and pepper and garlic powder. It always looked and smelled delicious to me, but my mom always snapped at me if I reached towards the mixing bowl for a taste "Don't eat that, do you want to get sick and die?!" I don't know if those olfactory memories played a role or not in my adulthood preference of all meat (burgers, steaks) to be cooked rare, or just barely cooked so that there's some rawness in the center.
posted by Oriole Adams at 10:30 AM on August 15, 2008

The Camellia Grill in New Orleans serves what they call a Cannibal Burger that sounds similar:

CANNIBAL BURGER

INGREDIENTS:
SERVES 4
1 pound beef tenderloin, ground for steak tartare (ask your butcher)
Salt and pepper to taste
Cayenne or Tabasco® sauce to taste
1/2 teaspoon paprika
2 medium red onions [minced]
1 bunch green onions [minced]
1 cup Italian parsley [minced]

PREPARATION:
Mix red onions, green onions and parsley together and add 1 cup of this mixture to the rest of the ingredients. Shape the mixture into 4 medium hamburger patties and garnish the top with the rest of the onion and parsley mixture. Serve immediately on a hamburger bun.
posted by Carbolic at 10:36 AM on August 15, 2008

I also seem to remember topping off the burger with a raw egg may have been an option offered.
posted by Carbolic at 10:38 AM on August 15, 2008

If you're looking for something similar, Kitfo in Ethiopian cuisine is a really nice ground steak tartare.
posted by Doctor Suarez at 12:08 PM on August 15, 2008 [1 favorite has favorites]

I've heard of it called Cannibal Burger in northern Wisconsin too, although I don't know if it's widespread.
posted by altcountryman at 1:20 PM on August 15, 2008

Seconding kitfo for the fix. Although, I will say (as is the case with anything raw like that) it's only as good as the meat.
posted by heartquake at 2:49 PM on August 15, 2008

Korean food also has something similar called yook hwe. Wikipedia spells it as yukhoe but there's spelling variants all over.

Of course, you don't want to order this at any old Korean restaurant - only the best ones you trust.
posted by junesix at 3:25 PM on August 15, 2008 [1 favorite has favorites]

Although, I will say (as is the case with anything raw like that) it's only as good as the meat.

This can not be overstated. To eat it raw, it would seem to me that you should know where the meat came from.
posted by Netzapper at 7:35 PM on August 15, 2008