Salisbury steak, if made well, can be rather tasty, but it too often resembles mystery meat from the school cafeteria.
It was first invented by a 19th C. physician, Dr. James Salisbury. He believed that vegetables and starchy food were the causes of a lot of disease and should be eaten sparingly . and came up with a high protein diet that relied heavily on meat. But the meat had to be ground ot rid it of connective tissue.
The whole reason why the beef is ground is to extract the fiber from the "muscle pulp." This tiber is the very element which causes so much trouble by producing thickenings of various tissues throughout the body; and causing partial and complete paralysis; and ll Is very essential that It should be removed from the beef as far as possible, especially in the cases of those who are very sick
His recipe:
Eat the muscle pulp of lean beef made into cakes and broiled. This pulp should be as free as possible from connective or glue tissue, fat and cartilage. Previous to chopping, the fat, bone, tendons, and fascia should all be cut away, and the clean muscle cut up in pieces an inch or two square. Steaks through the centre of the round [middle-cut] are the richest and best for this purpose. Beef should be used from well-fatted animals that are from 4 to 6 years old. The pulp should not be pressed too firmly together before broiling, or it will taste livery. Simply press it sufficiently, so that it will hold together. Make the cakes from half an inch to an inch thick. Broil slowly and moderately over a fire free from blaze and smoke. When cooked, put it on a hot plate and season to taste with butter, pepper, salt, and mustard. If desired, celery may be moderately used as a relish.
You were to eat this three times a day, with lots of water.
During WWI, when German-sounding things were being renamed in England & the US, the hamburger steak (hamburgers were usually served without a bun at the time) was renamed Salisbury steak.
