Don’t overlook classic, long-established steakhouses. They often have deep, long-standing relationships with meat suppliers, which allows them to consistently source exceptional beef – Chef Haruka Katayanagi
Katayanagi says that home cooks typically prepare steak in a frying pan with salt and pepper, adding butter or soy sauce to finish. Steak is commonly accompanied by steamed white rice and miso soup, reflecting the Japanese structure of a complete meal.
Italy’s bistecca alla Fiorentina is a hearty cut for hearty celebrations.
Italy
If one meat dish dominates Italy, it’s bistecca alla Fiorentina, the traditional thick-cut Tuscan steak dating to the Renaissance.
Over the centuries, the massive cut has become a symbol of Tuscan cooking and conviviality, and a rite of culinary passage in a country whose cuisine is strongly defined by regional dishes. But “bistecca alla Fiorentina is not something for a dainty dinner for two, nor is it something for a simple family meal. It’s cause for celebration”, says eighth-generation butcher Dario Cecchini of Officina Cecchini in Chianti. “We’re celebrating the life that has been sacrificed to nourish us.”
That meat comes from Italy’s Chianina cattle, known for their remarkable white coats. A true bistecca alla Fiorentina is cut from the loin in the T-bone shape. As for the size, “it’s the most over-discussed subject in Tuscany,” says Cecchini. “It should be no less than one-and-a-half kilos, but from there, it really depends on the size of the cow itself, and how many people are being served.”
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