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Papua New GuineaFlavors · Idaho
Strips of beef dipped in a light batter and fried until crispy on the outside and tender inside, served with French fries and a dipping sauce. They originated in Boise in the 1950s and are the snack most associated with Idaho.
Traditional dish from Idaho
Also known as: Idaho finger steaks, finger steak
Illustrative images. The pictures in this guide are illustrations based on the real place, not photographs, and may differ from it.
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Finger steaks — Idaho, the United States
Finger steaks are strips of beef, usually top round or trimmings of tenderloin, dipped in a light batter similar to tempura and deep-fried. The exterior becomes golden and crispy while the meat remains tender inside. They are brought to the table in a basket, with French fries, buttered toast, and a dipping sauce.
The origin is traced to Boise, the capital of Idaho. The most common account credits a butcher who had worked for the Forest Service in the central mountains of the state; in the 1950s he began serving the battered strips in a Boise restaurant to use leftover meat. There are other versions, and sources treat the story as a local tradition.
Idaho is known for its potatoes, but locals often point to finger steaks as the state’s most distinctive food. They appear at drive-ins, bars, and family restaurants in southern Idaho and Boise, and are less common outside the region.
The traditional sauce is cocktail sauce, made from ketchup and horseradish, or fry sauce, the ketchup-and-mayonnaise mix common in the western United States.
Strips of beef (top round or tenderloin trimmings), flour batter, eggs and milk or carbonated water, salt and pepper, oil for frying.
By hand, served in a basket, with French fries, toast and cocktail sauce or fry sauce for dipping.
All year round, at lunch, dinner or as a snack.
Your questions
They are strips of beef coated in a light batter and fried, served with French fries and a dipping sauce. It’s a typical Idaho dish.
Local tradition says Boise, the capital of Idaho, in the 1950s.
Usually cocktail sauce, made from ketchup and horseradish, or fry sauce, made from ketchup and mayonnaise.
Flavors of the United States
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