abstract
| - The origin and history of Beef Stroganoff is an excellent lesson in food lore. While food historians generally agree the dish takes its name from Count Stroganoff, a 19th-century Russian noble, there are conflicting theories regarding the genesis of this "classic" dish. Certainly, there is evidence confirming the recipe predate the good Count and his esteemed chef. This recipe is called Beef Stroganov with mustard (govjadina po-strogonovski, s gorchitseju). It is taken from A Gift to Young Housewives by Elena Molokhovets, Moscow, 1861, recipe no. 635, translated and introduced by Joyce Thomas in 1992. Ms. Thomas adds this note: "Molokhovets' simple recipe did not endure. Already by 1912, Aleksandrrova-Ignat'eva was teaching the students in her cooking classes to add finely chopped sauteed onions and tomato paste to the sauce, a practice which still turns up in modern Soviet and American recipes, with or without the addition of mushrooms. It is worth noting that Aleksandrova-Ignat'eva served this dish with potato straws, which have become the standard modern garnish for Beef Strogonov."
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