Carpaccio

Carpaccio ( or ; ) is a dish of raw meat or fish (such as beef, veal, venison, salmon or tuna), thinly sliced or pounded thin and served mainly as an appetizer.

History
Carpaccio is the international name of a typical Italian dish made with raw meat. The dish was proposed with this name for the first time in Venice, at the time of an exhibition dedicated to Venetian painter Vittore Carpaccio which took place around 1950.

The dish, based on the Piedmont speciality "carne cruda all'albese", was invented and popularised by Giuseppe Cipriani, founder of Harry's Bar in Venice. He originally prepared the dish for the countess Amalia Nani Mocenigo when he learned that the doctors had recommended that she eat raw meat. The dish was named carpaccio after Vittore Carpaccio, the Venetian painter known for the characteristic red and white tones of his work.

Preparation
The typical Piedmont carpaccio is made with very thin slices of beef meat placed on a dish with a marinade made with lemon, olive oil and with shavings of white truffle or Parmesan cheese, and can be topped with rocket.

The meat usually used for carpaccio is beef sirloin, a cut tastier than the fillet. Since this is a dish best served raw, the meat must be fresh. Less commonly, reflecting Piedmont tradition, carpaccio can also be made with minced meat and garlic, the so-called "carne cruda".

Today
Today the term carpaccio is used for any preparation made with thinly sliced raw meat, fish or vegetables (usually seasoned with lemon, or vinegar, olive oil, salt and ground pepper) or fruit. Carpaccio is also a popular appetizer dish in neighbouring Friuli and Slovenia, where it is usually served on rucola with a slice of lemon, Parmesan cheese and toasted French bread.