Salisbury steak: Named after 19th-century English physician, Dr. J.H. Salisbury, this American dish is actually an oval-shaped beef patty served with brown gravy. Salisbury promoted eating chopped beef three times a day to protect against tuberculosis and other diseases.
Porterhouse steak: In the early 1800s, travelers ate steak and drank ale at coach stops, also known as "porter houses." Around 1814, the steak gained popularity after Martin Morrison, a New York City porter-house manager, began serving it. Zachary Davidson, chef of Spencers for Steaks & Chops, points out that the Porterhouse is actually two steaks separated by the bone. On one side of the bone sits a strip steak. On the small round side, you've got filet mignon.
Filet mignon: A term coined by O. Henry in his book "The Four Million" (1906). The literal meaning is small (mignon) boneless meat (filet). A filet mignon is sometimes wrapped in bacon during cooking.
Steak Diane: Created at the Copacabana Palace Hotel in Rio de Janeiro, individual tender beef steaks are pounded flat, quickly cooked in butter and flamed with cognac.
Chateaubriand: A thick cut of beef tenderloin, large enough to serve two people, usually served with a bearnaise sauce. It was created during Napoleon's time for the French author Francois Chateaubriand.