How Swiss Is Swiss Steak?

Swiss steak is a favorite American dish. It may not be quite company fare--it’s a relatively tough cut (round steak, for instance), pounded to tenderize it, heavily floured and braised in tomato sauce to tenderize it further. It’s basically good, satisfying home cooking.

But exactly what is Swiss about it? The Swiss certainly have a lot of cattle (think of all that cheese and milk chocolate), but they don’t seem to make any Swiss steak. When they stew beef, it’s mostly with wine and root vegetables in the usual European manner. The nearest you’re likely to find to Swiss steak might be saurer Mocken, which is vinegar-marinated ox flesh cooked with one tomato, one carrot and a couple of slices of dark rye bread.

The name “Swiss steak” first appeared in American cookbooks in the mid-1920s. The first recipes actually didn’t call for tomato sauce; “Swiss steak” was just a new name for a dish that had been known in the 19th century as smothered steak. As late as 1961, James Beard was giving a tomato-free Swiss steak recipe.

There was already an American tradition of braising tough steaks in tomato sauce, however. “The Young Housekeeper’s Friend” by Mrs. Cornelius (1859) gave a recipe for tomato steak. Tomato steak and Swiss steak coexisted in the ‘30s, but by 1950, the recipes had blended and tomato sauce was the usual braising liquid for Swiss steak.

So how did the Swiss moniker get attached to this homely American dish? Probably some Jazz Age newspaper food writer did it, and for no better reason than the Swiss reputation for thrift and frugality.