History

Tatarak entered Bohemian cuisine through Habsburg-era links with the German-speaking lands, where Beefsteak Tatar was a fashionable bourgeois plate by the 1880s. The Czech version diverged into a pivnice classic: rough hand-chopped (never machine-minced) beef from the Czech rump or sirloin, mixed at the table with paprika, mustard, ketchup, finely chopped onion, capers, anchovy and an egg yolk in the central well. The toasted topinka (slice of rye fried in lard, rubbed hot with raw garlic) is the obligatory accompaniment. Kantyna, the McConnell-style butcher-cafe of Ambiente group, modernised the dish but kept the form. The combination is sometimes called pivni dieta (beer diet) because the salt and protein call for round after round of cold lager.

Common allergens: Gluten, Eggs, Fish, Mustard

Make it at home

Yield 4Hands-on 25 minTotal 30 minDifficulty Intermediate

Ingredients

  • 400g very fresh beef sirloin or rump (ask the butcher for a centre cut from a piece previously frozen for 7 days for safety, the standard Czech tartare cut)
  • 1 medium yellow onion, very finely diced
  • 1 small shallot, finely chopped
  • 4 cornichons, very finely chopped
  • 1 tbsp capers, chopped
  • 4 anchovy fillets, finely chopped (or 1 tbsp anchovy paste)
  • 2 tbsp Dijon or Czech grainy mustard
  • 1 tbsp tomato ketchup
  • 1 tsp Worcestershire sauce
  • 1 tsp sweet Hungarian paprika
  • 1/2 tsp hot paprika or pinch of cayenne
  • 4 large free-range egg yolks (one per portion, served raw in the shell or half-shell at the centre)
  • Sea salt and a generous twist of black pepper
  • For the toasts: 8 thick slices of dense rye or country sourdough
  • 4 tbsp pork lard or unsalted butter
  • 4 plump garlic cloves halved

Method

  1. Trim all sinew and silverskin from the beef. Slice thin against the grain, then chop with a sharp knife into very small dice (about 3mm); do not use a food processor. The hand-chopped texture is the defining feature.
  2. In a clean cold bowl, mix the diced onion, shallot, cornichons, capers, anchovy, mustard, ketchup, Worcestershire, sweet and hot paprika.
  3. Fold the chopped beef gently into the seasoning paste with two forks; do not crush. Season with salt and pepper.
  4. Mound onto four chilled plates, making a small well in the centre of each mound; slide a raw yolk into each well (or serve in half a shell on top).
  5. For the topinky: heat the lard in a heavy frying pan, fry the bread slices on both sides for 90 seconds until deep gold and crisp. While still hot, rub each topinka all over with a halved garlic clove (the heat releases the oils into the bread).
  6. Plate two hot topinky beside each tartare. To eat: stir the yolk into the meat at the table, spread heavily on a topinka, salt to taste.

Tip from the editors. Use the freshest beef from a trusted butcher (in Prague, ask for a Kantyna-grade tartar piece) and chop just before serving. The garlic-rubbed topinka is the partner; supermarket toast is a poor substitute for proper dark rye fried in pork fat.

Where to eat tatarak s topinkami

Tatarak s topinkami in Prague

Lokal Dlouhaaa ★ 4.4

Czech€€stare-mestoMon-Sat 11:00-24:00, Sun 11:00-22:00Until 00:00 Mon-Wed, 01:00 Thu-Sat, 22:00 Sun

Lokal Dlouhaaa stays open to 01:00 weekend nights, pouring tank Pilsner and serving classic Czech pub food until last orders. Located in Stare Mesto.

Try: Tank Pilsner, Czech pub menu

Tip: Last food order is 30 minutes before close; the smazeny syr is the late dish.

Dlouha 731/33, 110 00 Praha 1

Kantyna ★ 4.4

Czech Butcher-canteen€€nove-mestoMon-Sat 11:30-23:00, Sun 11:30-22:00

Kantyna is Ambiente's butcher-canteen, a stand-and-eat steak counter where you order at the meat case and pay by weight, two blocks off Wenceslas Square.

Signature: House tartare, Sirloin steak

Order: Tartare; sirloin grilled to medium rare.

Politickych veznu 1511/5, 110 00 Praha 1 Book →

U Medvidku ★ 4.0

BreweryStrong Czech lager, X-Beer 33€€stare-mestoMon-Wed 11:30-23:00, Thu-Sat 11:30-23:30, Sun 12:00-22:00Daily 11:30-23:00

U Medvidku has poured beer since 1466 in the same Old Town building. X-Beer 33 is a one-pour experience; do the standard 12-degree alongside.

Tip: X-Beer 33 is a one-pour experience; do the standard 12-degree alongside.

Na Perstyne 345/7, 110 00 Praha 1

Cestr ★ 4.4

Steakhouse€€nove-mestoMon-Fri 11:30-23:00, Sat 12:00-23:00, Sun 12:00-22:00

Cestr is Ambiente's Czech-cattle steakhouse near the National Museum, serving cuts off the Czech pied breed alongside tank Pilsner and roast bone marrow.

Signature: Czech pied steak, Tank Pilsner

Order: Hanger steak; the tartare tableside.

Legerova 57/75, 110 00 Praha 1 Book →

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