Biftec anyone?

Question

Hola a todos los particpantes, I teach Spanish at a university and our textbook, written by another non-native faculty member, uses the word 'biftec' as the translation for 'steak.' I am not a native speaker, but have extensive experience with native Spanish speakers from a variety of countries, none of which use 'biftec' nor recognize this word.

Acceptable forms that I am familiar with are 'bife, bistec'....

Entonces, quería saber si hay algunos nativo hablantes que usan la palabra 'biftec'...

Answer 1

Hmm...

Bistec is used here in Mexico...

si, pues, en casi todos lados se usa 'bistec' (menos en el cono sur), por eso me cae tan raro lo de biftec... - AngelinaG, Dec 27, 2010

Answer 2

biftec

Puerto Rican recipe-biftec encebollado

biftec in SD dictionary

mmm, I like the first discussion link, as for the second, maybe the translator learned spanish from our textbook ;) - AngelinaG, Dec 27, 2010

Answer 3

Alma is correct: The word should be bistec not biftec

The french is bifteck does your friend also teach french?

I double checked the spelling by looking it up in my Oxford Spanish Dictionary (3rd Edn) and it was definitely written correctly as bistec

I hope that helps

Right, this is why I am trying to find ANYONE who would accept this word- it preplexes me that 'biftec' persists in our textbook, even though I have mentioned this to the author it has nevertheless been included in the latest edition :( - AngelinaG, Dec 27, 2010

Answer 4

It's bistec in Colombia.

I've just done a cheeky search and got 6,350 results for biftec including examples of its use from someone in Madrid and a Mexican cook book. It was not obvious where the other users of biftec were from.

Compare with 319,000 hits for bistec and 212,000 for bistek.

Alex

Answer 5

Bistec is also a style of cooking: they serve pescado bistec at the local chevicherias.

what exactly is Pescado bistec? is it like chicken fried steak???? - AngelinaG, Dec 27, 2010

...or breaded and fried fish (like chicken fried steak in the US) - AngelinaG, Dec 27, 2010

No, it's cooked in liquid with peppers and tomatoes. Breaded and fried things are normally called apanado. - lorenzo9, Dec 27, 2010

Probably more like battered than breaded. . . - lorenzo9, Dec 27, 2010

Answer 6

It is quite possibly a typographical error. It is sad, but I've found hundreds of them over time in a number of collegiate textbooks.

sadly, it is not...parts have been re-written from ed.4 and ed., all using the very non-standard 'biftec' - AngelinaG, Dec 27, 2010

Pride is a destructive thing. They really should at least look into it, since you brought up the subject. - LiveUnsheathed, Dec 27, 2010