[2][3] It is usually served with onions, capers, parsley or chive, salt, pepper, Worcestershire sauce, and other seasonings, often presented separately, to be added to taste.

It is similar to the Levantine kibbeh nayyeh, the Turkish çiğ köfte, the German Mett and the Korean yukhoe.

In France, a less-common variant called tartare aller-retour is a mound of mostly raw ground meat lightly seared on both sides.

This kind of fillet was beef minced by hand, lightly salted, and often smoked, and usually served raw in a dish along with onions and bread crumbs.

[12] While not providing a clear name, it is possible that the dish was popularized in Paris by restaurateurs who misunderstood Jules Verne's description of "koulbat" ("...a patty of crushed meat and eggs...") in his 1875 novel Michael Strogoff.

[17] Health concerns have reduced the popularity of this meat dish in some parts of the world because of the danger of contamination by bacteria and parasites[18] such as Toxoplasma gondii and Taenia saginata.

According to the World Health Organization, when basic hygienic rules are followed and fresh meat is used, the risk of bacterial infection is low.

The Belgian version, filet américain (also known as préparé), is generally made with mayonnaise and seasoned with capers and fresh herbs.

A variant of steak tartare is also present in Danish smørrebrød, where it is served on rugbrød (rye bread) with assorted toppings.

It is a traditional New Year's Eve dish, spread with butter on baked toast, and with the mandatory addition of sliced onions.

In southern Brazil, German immigrants influenced Hackepeter or carne de onça in Curitiba, where this dish is very common and served covered with chives.