The modern version of steak tartare with raw egg was first served in French restaurants early in the 20th century. What is now generally known as "steak tartare" was then called steack à l'Americaine. Steak tartare was a variation on that dish; the 1921 edition ofEscoffier's Le Guide Culinaire defines it assteack à l'Americaine made without egg yolk, served with tartar sauce on the side.
Over time, the distinction between steack à l'Americaine and its variant disappeared. The 1938 edition of Larousse Gastronomiquedescribes steak tartare as raw ground beef served with a raw egg yolk, without any mention of tartar sauce.
Although the word 'tartare' presumably refers to the Tatar people of Central Asia, and there are many stories connecting steak tartare with them, steak tartare is not related to Tatar cuisine.
"À la tartare" or simply "tartare" still means "served with tartar sauce" for some dishes, mostly fried fish.
The name 'tartare' is now sometimes applied to other meats or fish, such as tuna tartare, introduced in 1975 by the restaurant Le Duc in Paris.