Harry's Bar, Venice, Veneto
Invented by Giuseppe Cipriani at Harry's Bar in Venice in 1950, named for the Venetian Renaissance painter whose vivid reds and whites were being exhibited at the time: paper-thin slices of raw beef tenderloin (frozen briefly for easier slicing) dressed with a thin maionese whisked with Worcestershire sauce, lemon, and milk. The name 'carpaccio' became the generic term for any thinly-sliced or shaved raw ingredient. The original Cipriani version is a restaurant preparation — precisely calibrated, not the overly dressed modern version.
Translucent, crimson-pink raw beef, barely dressed with a thin Cipriani sauce — a dish of absolute purity that requires perfect ingredients, a cold plate, and exactly the right amount of sauce
{"Beef tenderloin, trimmed of all silver skin and fat, frozen 2 hours until firm but not rock-hard","Sliced paper-thin (1–1.5mm) on a meat slicer or with a very sharp knife","Arrange on a cold plate (pre-refrigerated) without overlapping — the slices should not touch","Cipriani sauce: thin mayonnaise, Worcestershire, lemon juice, milk — consistency of single cream, not thick mayo","Apply sauce in a fine drizzle or use a squeeze bottle — it should dress, not mask, the beef"}
{"The beef must be completely fresh (same day) and of exceptional quality — raw, thinly sliced beef hides nothing","Rocket and shaved Parmigiano are a Venetian variation, not the original Cipriani preparation","The original Cipriani sauce can be made ahead and refrigerated for up to 3 days"}
{"Thick sauce — the delicate beef is overwhelmed","Room temperature plate — the beef begins to cook and change colour immediately","Thick slices — they become chewy and the raw beef character is lost"}
Harry's Bar — Arrigo Cipriani