The history of food can tell us a lot about humanity – but my beef with steak tartare will rumble on

Steak tartare, with quail egg yolk. Photo: Getty Images

John Downing

A holy communion day treat long, long ago, of high tea in a posh hotel brought a childhood disappointment second only to learning the truth about a certain Mr S. Claus. To my dismay, I found the bacon element of “bacon and eggs” was really just an auld rasher which I could have had at home.