This Texas Delicacy Is Served Raw—And Most Texans Have Probably Never Heard Of It
Parisa is hard to find outside Medina County, Texas.
Courtesy of Palm & Pine
Have you ever heard of parisa? The dish (pronounced pah-ree-saa) is a South Texas speciality that is similar to steak tartare, but has its own Texas flair. It’s a hyper-regional recipe, found almost exclusively in Medina County, Texas, next door to San Antonio.
The raw meat dish departs from the French version in a few key ways, including the addition of cheese. We’ll admit that it can sometimes resemble an uncooked meatball mixture, but don’t let looks fool you, because Medina locals and visitors alike love it.
What Exactly Is Parisa?
Like any dish, recipes vary, but generally it's a raw ground meat dish, most commonly made with beef but can also be made with venison, especially during deer season, or bison. The meat is mixed with cheese (often American or Cheddar), jalapeños or another pepper (which can be pickled), citrus juice (lime or lemon), and onions. Some recipes include additional seasonings or garlic. It’s fresh tasting, with a slight heat and acidity rounded out by the creaminess of the cheese.
It’s usually enjoyed simply with a sleeve of saltines, as a starter or snack the same way you might enjoy pimiento cheese, but it’s also likely to show up at celebratory events, like weddings or tailgates.
Origins Of Parisa
This dish is a result of Alsatian immigrants in this part of Texas. Alsace is a region in France bordering Germany and Switzerland that has a French cuisine with a prominent German influence.
Aside from parisa, there’s plenty of food in this part of the state influenced by the historic immigration, including Haby’s Alsatian Bakery in Castroville. The influence of both this kind of European cuisine, as well as local Texas and Mexican cooking traditions, collide in parisa, which is deeply tied to Medina county, and is relatively unknown in other parts of Texas, let alone the country.
Although inspired by French tartares, there is an obvious Tex-Mex influence, from the inclusion of chile peppers to how it’s prepared. The dish is often referred to as "cowboy ceviche," because of the fresh citrus juice included, which is part of traditional raw seafood ceviche preparations. The citrus lightly cures the beef in parisa, but doesn’t cook it through.
Parisa is also linked to hunting in the region, and can be made with venison. You'll find many of the places serving it in Medina County double as wild game processing businesses, and it has a history as a hunting camp dish.
A New Take On Parisa
At Palm & Pine in New Orleans, Texas-born chefs Amarys and Jordan Herndon, have reimagined parisa. Despite being from the state, Jordan wasn’t that familiar with the dish, so he embarked on a research trip to Medina County. He spent a day trying out local parisas, mostly enjoying them on the hood of his car in between stops, and came back with fresh inspiration for his own version.
"It would be easy for us to just copy the exact dish, but it’s our responsibility to showcase it in a different light as a restaurant," says Jordan, "We marry parisa with some of the traditional steak tartare flavor profiles. We zhuzh it up."
Palm & Pine’s parisa (pictured above) includes fermented serrano peppers, havarti, and an egg jam (a nod to classic tartares served with a raw egg on top). Instead of grinding the beef, it’s chopped, highlighting the high-quality local beef, and even the salt and pepper used gets an upgrade. The pair use smoked pepper and flaky Maldon salt. It’s decidedly fancier, but a lovely homage to a traditional parisa.
A Few Places To Try Parisa
If you're ready to embark on your own parisa research trip, here are a few spots Jordan recommends trying out in Medina County.
Dziuk’s Meat Market: Selling a variety of Alsatian-style sausages, cured meats, and fresh cuts, this Castroville business also sells parisa made fresh daily.
Silver Creek Specialty Meats and Gourmet Coffee: Located in Hondo, Texas, this butcher and coffee shop sells among many items, their own take on parisa that they call, "the go-to party dish of Medina County." Jordan suggests trying their ghost pepper parisa.
Alvarez Food Mart: Also in Hondo, this is Jordan’s favorite spot to pick up the raw beef delicacy. You’ll know you’ve arrived at the right place when you see their sign, with their specialities (steak, parisa, and sausage) listed front and center.
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