The dish is named after one of the members of the influential Stroganov family. Elena Molokhovets’s classic Russian cookbook A Gift to Young Housewives gives the first known recipe for Govjadina po-strogonovski, s gorchitseju, “Beef à la Stroganov, with mustard”, in its 1871 edition. In 1891, the French chef Charles Brière, who was working in Saint Petersburg, submitted a recipe for beef Stroganoff to a competition sponsored by the French magazine L’Art culinaire. Another recipe, this one from 1909, adds onions and tomato sauce, and serves it with crisp potato straws, which are considered the beef stroganoff with ground beef side dish for beef Stroganoff in Russia.
After the fall of Tsarist Russia, the recipe was popularly served in the hotels and restaurants of China before the start of World War II. In 1960s United States, several manufacturers introduced dehydrated beef stroganoff mixes, which were mixed with cooked beef and sour cream. It was also available freeze-dried for campers. This section needs additional citations for verification. Please help improve this article by adding citations to reliable sources.
Beef Stroganoff preparation varies significantly not only based on geography, but based on other factors as well, such as the cut of meat and seasonings selected. Meat for the dish can be cut in different ways and is sometimes diced, cubed, or cut into strips. In the version often prepared in the United States today in restaurants and hotels, it consists of strips of beef filet with a mushroom, onion, and sour cream sauce, and is served over rice or noodles. Today, the dish is generally served over wide or twisted egg noodles in the United States.
Larousse Gastronomique lists Stroganoff as a cream, paprika, veal stock and white wine recipe. Brazilians also prepare Stroganoff with chicken or even shrimp instead of beef. Stroganoff is also popular in Nordic countries. Stroganoff’s popularity extends to Japan, where it is most commonly served with white rice, or white rice seasoned with parsley and butter. These are cubes with dried seasoning and thickening agents that can be added to water, onion, beef, and mushrooms to make a Stroganoff-style sauce. Anne Volokh, Mavis Manus,The Art of Russian Cuisine.