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| Alternative names | surf 'n' turf reef 'n' beef |
|---|---|
| Place of origin | United States |
| Main ingredients | Seafood andred meat |
Surf and turf, sometimes calledreef and beef, is amain course typically served atsteakhouses combiningseafood andred meat,[1][2] usuallybeefsteak. Whilelobster andfilet mignon are a standard combination,[3][4][5] common variations includeprawns, shrimp,[6]squid, orscallops, which may besteamed,grilled, orbreaded and fried.
While the term's origins remain unclear, the earliest known use of the phrase in print dates to 1961 in theLos Angeles Times.[1]
In late 19th-century America, combining large portions of lobster and steak was popular at "show restaurants known as lobster palaces", favored bynouveau riche "arrivistes". This became unfashionable by the 1920s and only regained popularity in the early 1960s.[7]
Surf 'n' turf was featured in 1962 at theEye of the Needle, arevolving restaurant atop theSpace Needle inSeattle, Washington.[7]
Surf and turf is often considered to symbolize the middle-class "Continental cuisine" of the 1960s and 1970s,[8] with (frozen) lobster and steak as replacements for the middle class.[9]
In Australia, the dish was first served in 1965 at the Lithgow Hotel[10] inLithgow, New South Wales. It is now common throughout Australia.[citation needed]
Surf and turf is also nicknamed "the deployment meal" in theUnited States Army, although abattle deployment does not necessarily follow being served the meal.[11][12]
A sandwich variation known as the surf and turfburger is prepared with ground beef and various types of seafood, such as lobster, shrimp, or crab.[13][14][15][6]
Surf and turf is often considered as an example ofconspicuous consumption andkitsch, as it combines two expensive foods which are not normally considered to be complementary:[16][7]
Surf 'n' turf is an example of the voracious rapture that defines much classic kitsch: adding two swanky things together in hopes of doubling their value and winding up with a flatulent faux pas.
...the point of surf 'n' turf is to maximize hedonistic extravagance...
— Jane & Michael Stern, 1990[7]
This meal is stunt food. It exists because it's a way for restaurants to package the two most expensive items on the menu—tenderloin and lobster—into one ostentatious price tag. Otherwise, these two items don't even go together. It's the most conspicuous of conspicuous consumption and maybe even a little cliché.
— Jared Stone, 2015[16]
Let's see, surf and turf, glazed carrots, double-stuffed potatoes, apple pie — this meal seems to ignore every dietary and culinary trend of the last 30 years.
As one moves downward in the American socioeconomic class structure, one sees lobster retain its image as a status foodstuff. To be affordable to the middle class, the actual lobster eaten usually takes the form of frozen Australian lobster tail, often served along with steak as part of a standard middle-class status meal known as "surf and turf." Thus the image of rarity and status is retained, but a cheaper product that has no relationship to Maine... is substituted for the authentic foodstuff.
Media related toSurf and turf (dishes) at Wikimedia Commons
