This popular dish has its origins in Russia. Beef Stroganoff or Beef Stroganov is a dish of sautéed pieces of beef served in a sauce with sour cream. From its origins in mid-19th-century Russia, it has become popular around the world, with considerable variation from the original recipe.Folk law has is that a French chef who worked for a wealthy St. Petersburg family created the dish for a cooking contest in 1891. Following the Russian custom of the day, he named the prize-winning dish for his employer, Count Pavel Alexandrovich Stroganov.