The Civil War Steak Dish Invented By A Doctor As Military Medicine

Salisbury steak is a staple of classic TV dinners. It's essentially a patty of seasoned ground beef (and sometimes fillers) shaped like a steak and served with an onion-mushroom gravy. It often comes with mashed potatoes and vegetables, such as peas and carrots. Though the dish gained popularity in the 1950s, when Swanson helped popularize this style of frozen meal, it actually dates back much further than that.

Dr. James Henry Salisbury was a physician in the mid-1800s. Concerned that too many Civil War soldiers were suffering from malnutrition and chronic diarrhea (caused due to a diet comprised mainly of hardtack biscuits), he wanted to create something that offered more nutritional value and was easy to digest, but was also quick to make in difficult camp conditions. Dr. Salisbury considered minced beef to be a nutritious food, while also believing fruits and vegetables led to intestinal issues when eaten in excess. With all of that as context, he created his namesake dish as an easily digestible meal for upset stomachs, comprising of essentially plain chopped lean beef, with salt, pepper, butter, lemon, and Worcestershire sauce as optional additions.

However, it was another war that would cement the dish's eponymous name in American culture. During World War I, the German-sounding word hamburger lost favor, making Salisbury steak the more culturally acceptable dish — on top of its perceived health value. The 1945 edition of the "Cookbook of the U.S. Navy" shows a basic recipe for Salisbury steak that served 100 soldiers using 31 pounds of boneless beef, seven pounds of soft bread crumbs, and six pounds of grated onions with other seasonings. This was a much simpler and lighter dish than the highly processed Salisbury steak and gravy we are familiar with today. 

Salisbury steak may not be viewed as medicine today as Dr. James Henry Salisbury did — partially because of the enormous amounts of gravy it comes with and its ubiquitous presence among many frozen dinners of questionable nutrition. But Salisbury steak survives, and you'll find plenty of iterations of this iconic dish on the internet, including Chowhound's classic Salisbury steak recipe. While not the quite the medicinal food Dr. Salisbury had in mind, using lean ground beef may still help to keep it somewhat nutritious.  

You'll even find Salisbury steak on some modern restaurant menus — one popular example being Longhorn Steakhouse. The chain calls it a Chop Steak, but it's essentially the same thing as a Salisbury steak: 10 ounces of ground beef topped with roasted mushrooms, caramelized onions, and a garlic and herb gravy. 

This likely isn't what Dr. Salisbury created — the full dish is nearly 900 calories, after all — but it goes to show how his legacy continues today. So whether you're enjoying Salisbury steak as one of the best Stouffer's frozen meals, at a restaurant like Longhorn, or making it at home, just remember that you have Dr. Salisbury and his ingenuity to thank for this iconic dish.