View source for Filet mignon

{{short description|Cut of beef}}
{{More citations needed|date=May 2009}}
{{Infobox food
|name=Filet mignon
|image=Filmin.png
|caption=Diagram of where filet mignon is butchered from
|type=Tenderloin
|no_recipes=y
|no_commons=y
}}{{steak}}

'''Filet mignon''' ({{IPAc-en|,|f|i:|l|eɪ|_|'|m|i:|n|j|ɒ̃}};<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.oxforddictionaries.com/definition/english/filet-mignon |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130802031948/http://oxforddictionaries.com/definition/english/filet-mignon |url-status=dead |archive-date=August 2, 2013 |title=filet mignon |work=[[Oxford Dictionaries (website)|Oxford Dictionaries]] |publisher=[[Oxford University Press]] |access-date=2015-11-13}}</ref> {{IPA|fr|filɛ miɲɔ̃|lang}}; {{literal translation|delicate, fine, or cute fillet}}) in North America, especially the [[United States]] refers solely to a cut of [[meat]] taken from the smaller end of a beef [[Beef tenderloin|tenderloin]], or [[psoas major]] of a cow. In France, ''filet mignon'' usually refers to cuts of [[pork tenderloin]] or [[veal tenderloin]].<ref>{{Cite book|last=Hamlyn|title=Larousse Gastronomique|publisher=Hamlyn|year=2009|isbn=978-0600620426|location=UK|pages=989}}</ref>

The tenderloin runs along both sides of the [[Vertebral column|spine]], and is usually butchered as two long snake-shaped cuts of meat. The tenderloin is sometimes sold whole. Filet mignon is usually presented as a round cut taken from the thinner end of a piece of tenderloin. It is often the most tender and lean cut. Filet mignon often has a milder flavour than other cuts of meat and as such is often garnished with a sauce or wrapped with bacon.

Due to the small amount of filet mignon able to be [[butcher]]ed from each animal, it is generally considered one of the most expensive cuts of beef.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Jacobson |first=Derek |date=2018-01-02 |title=What Are the Most Expensive Steak Cuts? |url=https://www.mychicagosteak.com/steak-university/most-expensive-steak-cuts |access-date=2022-11-03 |website=Steak University |language=en-US}}</ref>
[[File:Fillet Mignon.jpg|thumb|A medium-rare fillet mignon served at a steakhouse]]

==Usage==

=== Europe ===
[[File:Filet mignon braisé.JPG|thumb|Filet mignon (pork) cooking in a pan]]
In France, the term {{Langx|fr|filet mignon|label=none}} refers to pork. The cut of beef referred to as filet mignon in the United States has various names across the rest of Europe; e.g., ''filet de bœuf'' in French and ''filet pur'' in Belgium, ''fillet steak'' in the UK, ''Filetsteak'' in German, ''solomillo'' in Spanish (''filet'' in Catalan), ''lombo'' in Portuguese, ''filee steik'' in Estonian, and ''filetbiff'' in Norwegian. 

In the UK, ''pork fillet'' or ''[[Medallion (food)|pork medallion]]'' is the term used to describe a similar cut from a pig.

=== North America ===
Filet mignon refers to cuts from a beef tenderloin in North America.
Elsewhere, this cut of beef is called:
* Filet de bœuf (French)
*Fillet steak ([[English language|English]]: UK, Ireland, South Africa)
* Eye fillet (English: Australia, New Zealand).

In the U.S., both the central and large end of the tenderloin are often sold as ''filet mignon'' in supermarkets and restaurants. The French terms for these cuts are ''[[Beef tenderloin|tournedos]]'' (the smaller central portion),  ''[[Chateaubriand steak|châteaubriand]]'' (the larger central portion), and ''biftek'' (cut from the large end known as the ''tête de filet'' (lit. 'head of filet') in French).<ref>Beck et al, pp. 306–307</ref>

[[Porterhouse steak]]s and [[T-bone]]<!--The T-Bone and Porterhouse steaks are cut from the different sides of the same primal cut (short loin). T-bone steaks are the cuts closer to the 13th rib, which have smaller portions of tenderloin in them.--> steaks are large cuts that include the filet. The small medallion on one side of the bone is the filet, and the long strip of meat on the other side of the bone is the [[strip steak]].

==See also==
* [[Pork tenderloin]]
*[[Beef tenderloin]]
* {{portal-inline|Food}}

==References==
{{Reflist}}
==Sources==
{{commonscat}}
*{{cite book | last = Beck | first = Simone | author2 = Louisette Bertholle | author3 = Julia Child | title = Mastering the Art of French Cooking, Volume One | date = 2012 | orig-date = 1961 | location = London | publisher = Particular | isbn = 978-0-241-95339-6 }} 

{{Cuts of beef}}
{{Beef}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Filet Mignon}}
[[Category:Cuts of beef]]