A beefsteak****, often called just steak, is a flat cut of beef with parallel faces, usually cut perpendicular to the muscle fibers. In common restaurant service a single serving has a raw mass ranging from 120 to 600 g. Beef steaks are usually grilled, pan-fried, or broiled. The more tender cuts from the loin and rib are cooked quickly, using dry heat, and served whole. Less tender cuts from the chuck or round are cooked with moist heat or are mechanically tenderized (cf. cube steak).

Regional variations

Australia

In Australia, beef steak is referred to as just "steak" and can be purchased uncooked in supermarkets, butchers, and some smallgood shops. It is sold cooked as a meal in almost every pub, bistro, or restaurant specialising in modern Australian food, and is ranked based on the quality and the cut. Most venues usually have three to seven different cuts of steak on their menu and serve it from blue to well-done according to preference. A steak is normally accompanied by a choice of sauces and a choice of either french fries or mashed potato. A complementary choice of side salad or steamed vegetables is also commonly offered.

France

In France, steak, locally called bifteck, is usually served with fried potatoes (pommes frites in French). The combination is known as steak frites. Vegetables are not normally served with steak in this manner, but a green salad may follow or (more commonly) be served at the same time. Steaks are often served with classic French sauces.

Indonesia

In Indonesia, bistik jawa is a beefsteak dish that is influenced by Dutch cuisine. Another Indonesian beefsteak is selat solo with Dutch-influence, a specialty of Surakarta, Central Java.

Italy

In Italy, steak was not widely eaten until after World War II because the relatively rugged countryside does not readily accommodate the space and resource demands of large herds of cattle. Some areas of Piedmont, Lombardy, and Tuscany, however, were renowned for the quality of their beef. Bistecca alla fiorentina is a well-known specialty of Florence; it is typically served with just a salad. From the 1960s onward, economic gains allowed more Italians to afford a red-meat diet.

Mexico

In Mexico, as well as in Spain and other former Spanish colonies, bistec (a Spanish loanword from English "beefsteak") refers to dishes of salted and peppered beef sirloin strips. One form of Mexican bistec is usually flattened with a meat tenderizing tool. The dish is often served in tortillas as a taco.

Spain

Spain and its former colonies have variations of bistec encebollado (beefsteak with onions). It can be found across Latin America.

United Kingdom

In the United Kingdom, In steak restaurants the beef is aged for several weeks, seasoned with sea salt nd pepper and seared on a grill. It is the served with chips or potatoes, vegetables and a wedge salad with dressings. Sauces are usually served on the side such as peppercorn, Diane, borderline, mushroom or a bearnaise sauce. In more casual restaurants and pubs steak is often served with medium-thick fried potatoes (chips), fried onions, mushrooms, onion rings and tomatoes;

United States

In the United States, a restaurant that specializes in beef steaks is a steakhouse. The more expensive steakhouses serve the highest grades of beef and often dry-age it for many weeks. The well-aged beef cooked on high-heat grills and broilers produces a steak difficult to emulate in a home kitchen. A typical steak dinner consists of a steak, optionally topped with sautéed onions or mushrooms, with a starchy side dish; usually baked or mashed potatoes, or thick-cut fried potatoes known as steak fries. Chili, rice, pasta, or beans are also common sides. A side salad or a small serving of cooked vegetables often accompanies the meat and side, with corn on the cob, green beans, creamed spinach, asparagus, tomatoes, mushrooms, peas, and onion rings being popular. Bread is generally served, usually a dinner roll. Steak is sometimes served with shrimp or lobster tail, giving "surf and turf" or "reef and beef". Prepared condiments known as steak sauces are generally on the table in steakhouses. Tenderized round or sirloin steaks, breaded, and pan-fried or deep-fried, are called "chicken fried" or "country fried" steaks, respectively. An iconic specialty of Philadelphia is the Philly cheesesteak, composed of thinly sliced ribeye or other tender cuts, cooked on a hot griddle and shredded slightly, and served on Italian-style rolls with one of a few types of cheese (American, mild Provolone or "Cheez Whiz" sauce).

Special beef designations

USDA beef grades

Degree of cooking

The amount of time a steak is cooked is based upon personal preference; shorter cooking times retain more juice, whereas longer steak cooking times result in drier, tougher meat, but reduce concerns about disease. A vocabulary has evolved to describe the degree to which a steak is cooked. The following terms are in order from least cooked to most cooked: ! English ! French ! German A style exists in some parts of North America called "Chicago". A Chicago-style steak is cooked to the desired level and then quickly charred. The diner orders it by asking for the style followed by the doneness (e.g. "Chicago-style rare"). A steak ordered "Pittsburgh rare" is rare or very rare on the inside and charred on the outside. In Pittsburgh, this style is referred to as "black and blue" (black or "sooty" on the outside, and blue rare on the inside).

Types

Several other foods are called "steak" without actually being steaks:

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