The name is a shortening of the original  a à la  tartare or served with tartar , sauce a dish popular in the 19th and early 20th. centurieslthough the word 'tartare' presumably refers to the Tartar people of Central Asia, and there are many stories connecting steak tartare with them, steak tartare is not related to Tatar cuisine. A à la tartare or simply tartare still means served with tartar sauce for some, dishes mostly fried. fish