The Hungarian mixed grill or Fatányéros is a traditional Hungarian mixed meat
barbecue
Barbecue or barbeque (informally BBQ in the UK, US, and Canada, barbie in Australia and braai in South Africa) is a term used with significant regional and national variations to describe various cooking methods that use live fire and smoke t ...
dish (or ''pecsenye'' in Hungarian), originating from
Transylvania.
The dish ''Fatányéros'' was on the menu since 1900 at the famous restaurant
Wampetich (later
Gundel) in the
City Park (''Városliget'') in Budapest, as "''fatányéros''—Hungarian mixed grill on wooden platter". The dish was served on wooden platter, and contained grilled slices of veal, beef, pork cutlets, and a slice of goose liver and a slice of bacon—grilled or roasted on a spit. As a side dish
french fries
French fries (North American English), chips (British English), finger chips ( Indian English), french-fried potatoes, or simply fries, are '' batonnet'' or ''allumette''-cut deep-fried potatoes of disputed origin from Belgium and France. Th ...
or thick slices of fried potatoes are served, together with fresh mixed green salad, with a big knife with Hungarian motives stuck in the middle of the steak.
Steaks called ''pecsenye'' are part of the traditional
Hungarian cuisine
Hungarian or Magyar cuisine is the cuisine characteristic of the nation of Hungary and its primary ethnic group, the Magyars. Traditional Hungarian dishes are primarily based on meats, seasonal vegetables, fruits, bread, and dairy products. ...
and may refer to any kind of
pan fried
Pan frying or pan-frying is a form of frying food characterized by the use of minimal cooking oil or fat (compared to shallow frying or deep frying), typically using just enough to lubricate the pan. In the case of a greasy food such as bacon, n ...
meat: pork, beef, poultry or game. Other Hungarian ''pecsenye'' or steaks are for example ''Cigánypecsenye'' (Gypsy roast).
These steaks are often served on a wooden platter, like ''Bakonyi pecsenye'', ''Tordai pecsenye'' or ''Erdélyi fatányéros'', arranged in a very decorative way with garnishing, fried vegetables and salad.
The dish is popular in
Sweden
Sweden, formally the Kingdom of Sweden,The United Nations Group of Experts on Geographical Names states that the country's formal name is the Kingdom of SwedenUNGEGN World Geographical Names, Sweden./ref> is a Nordic country located on ...
as ''plankstek'' (lit. "plank-steak"), and was at its height of popularity there in the 1970s. In Sweden, it is commonly served with
duchess potatoes
Duchess potatoes (french: pommes de terre duchesse) consist of a purée of mashed potato, egg yolk, and butter, which is forced from a piping bag or hand-moulded into various shapes which are then baked in a high temperature oven until golden. , vegetables, and
Béarnaise sauce.
The Swedish book ''
Maträtternas historia'', rewarded best book in culinary history 2020 of
Gourmand Awards
A gourmand is a person who takes great pleasure and interest in consuming good food and drink. ''Gourmand'' originally referred to a person who was "a glutton for food and drink", a person who eats and drinks excessively; this usage is now rare. ...
, has a different theory of the origin of the Plankstek. In the food culture of Native Americans, they used to cook fish and sometimes meat on a cherrybrick over open fire. The first time the course appears in New York in
Charles Ranhofer cookbook
The Epicurean
''The Epicurean'' is a novel by Thomas Moore, published in 1827. It relates the story of Alciphron, leader of the Epicurean sect in Athens in the 3rd century AD, who is on a journey to Egypt to find the secret to immortality. Some editions of t ...
from 1893.
See also
References
Hungarian cuisine
Meat dishes
Romani cuisine
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