September 25, 2012
Five Banned Foods and One That Maybe Should Be
This enticing hunk of casu marzu cheese is rich with fly larvae, but sadly, illegal in the United States. Photo by CulinarySchools.org.
Once upon a time, Americans went blind from homemade moonshine, and meatpacking plants produced something more mystery meatloaf than pasture-raised. The ever evolving dance of food safety and regulation marches on, this time to protect us from…Wisconsin dairy farmers?
1. Raw Milk: In a state where citizens proudly wear giant wedges of foam cheese on their heads, dairy is king. Yet even in Wisconsin the lactose-centric cheer is quiet around raw milk. Many people swear by its such and such properties but plenty of others, including the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, agree that “While it is possible to get foodborne illnesses from many different foods, raw milk is one of the riskiest of all.” In Wisconsin, raw milk devotees can acquire the semi-illicit substance only if purchasing it directly from a farmer. Roughly half of US states forbid the sale of raw milk entirely.
2. Foie gras: Long considered the height of indulgence, foie gras became a symbol of civil disobedience in July when chefs staged foie gras-themed dinners protesting California’s recent ban. The luscious, spreadable goose innards (specifically duck or goose liver that has been fattened up with force-feeding) raised protests from animal rights group but the debate turned particularly vile when complaints of animal cruelty were coupled with death threats for the chefs who serve foie gras. Known for his conflict-mediation skills, Anthony Bourdain tweeted “Every time a chef is threatened, someone should skin a panda.” But the ban came to pass and neither panda nor chef was harmed.
3. Soda: New York City made headlines on September 13 when it passed a ban and a size limit on sodas available in restaurants, movie theaters and other establishments that fall under the supervision of the Department of Health. The ban will take effect in six months, according to CNN. Identifying the sugary calories in sodas and other sweetened drinks (including some of Honest Tea’s 16.9 oz. bottle beverages), Bloomberg defended the decision as a matter of public health. But seriously, who’s paying for drinks at the movie theaters anyway? Isn’t that what purses are for?
4. Horse Meat: While not illegal to consume, it is illegal to slaughter horses in the States. The situation is in a state of limbo currently after Congress lifted a ban on using federal funds to inspect horse slaughterhouses in November. Without any money to support the inspections, however, horse has yet to appear on many menus and the slaughterhouse industry isn’t picking up steam. Even if it did, culinary interest does not seem high and some have pointed out that the antibiotics and drugs given to these animals not intended for consumption makes them unfit for our plates. Something about that whole symbol of the American frontier also seems to keep My Little Ponies from the appetizer options.
5. Fly larvae cheese: Known as casu marzu, this cheese hails from Sardinia and is completely forbidden here. Because of its status as a traditional food, the cheese managed to maintain its legal status within the European Union. Just listen to this description of how the cheese is made and you’ll understand the ban. According to Delish, the cheese “develops when cheese fly larvae are introduced into Pecorino to promote advanced fermentation. As the larvae hatch and eat through the cheese, it softens. Diners have to dig in before the maggots die.” Poor Pecorino.
6. And one surprising food item that is not illegal: Roadkill. It is absolutely legal to haul that hunk of meat from the side of the road and bring home a feast. In certain respects, the practice makes economic sense and gets rotting carcasses off the street. But it also means an awful lot of meat is going without inspection. The finer points of roadkill cuisine were indeed part of my driver’s education materials though I have yet to try it.
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I am quite confident that what appears in the image is Haggis, a Scottish delicacy (also banned in US) and not casu marzu.
It’s common in Alaska for road crews to clean up recently hit moose on the highway, skin and prep them, and donate the meat to food pantries. Way better than letting the carcass rot on the highway as it happens in Ohio w/deer!
I don’t think that’s a picture of casu marzu. In fact, isn’t that a haggis?
While roadkill is legal for consumption in some states, it is not legal in the states of Washington, Oregon, and Montana – but apparently in Idaho it’s just fine. Please consult your state laws before dragging home the nice big doe the truck in front of you hit – if you’re lucky, it’s free stew meat. If not, you might be facing a very large fine.
Soda is not illegal in the US, it’s not even illegal in NYC. Listing “soda” is incorrect and deceptive. The accurate description is that large soda containers are illegal on certain venues. Listing “large sodas” would be a vast improvement – do consider the change.
I would have hoped that a Smithsonian employee would take more care for accuracy
Wow. So many ill-informed “journalists” on the planet who don’t do their own research. Shame on you!
Raw milk was dangerous for a short time in history when dairy cows were fed mash from nearby distilleries. Other than that, it is much safer than most foods in your kitchen. No one has died from raw milk in 38 years, whereas over 77 people have died from pasteurized milk in the last few. Why don’t you know this? Because the information is suppressed by corporate interests.
Get your facts straight before you write. This is a good place to start: http://www.realmilk.com/press-release-03apr03.html
The FDA and USDA are run by ex-Monsanto employees. The USDA co-owns the patent to the Terminator Seed with Monsanto, for goodness sake.
It is almost impossible to prove from whence the bacteria came that caused the illnesses in the article. The milk is long gone by the time the person gets sick. Not that it didn’t or couldn’t, but there is almost never proof that raw milk caused an illness.
Is there harmful bacteria in milk? Yes. There is also a great deal more beneficial bacteria and enzymes. The fact is, if you don’t ingest ALL the bacteria (and there are scores of scientific articles backing up this assertion) you are damaging your immune system.
Cantaloupes killed 17 people in a week. Spinach has killed people. Hamburger is on recall right now. Pasteurized milk kills people regularly. Oysters kill 15 people every single year. Five children die every single week in a backyard pool in the US. Peanuts have a much more dangerous track record than raw milk. Alcohol, cigarettes and prescription drugs — all known killers — don’t get the poisoned press that raw milk gets. Why is that? If you were actually an investigative journalist, you would be asking that very question.
And not made for human consumption? You could argue that about carrots.
Do you understand that the world does not revolve around you and your do whatever it takes, ruin as many people’s lives, so long as you can make a name for yourself as an investigatory journalist, no matter how many friends you lose or people you leave dead and bloodied along the way, just so long so you can make a name for yourself as an investigatory journalist, no matter how many friends you lose or people you leave dead and bloodied and dying along the way?
WOW there is sooo much information presented here that is inaccurate, i dont even know where to begin. the previous comments made great points. Nonetheless, it is clear the author of this article did not do an adequate job researching these topics. This article makes me sad, sad that people will read this and take it for truth.
The Hagis image has been changed now to what appears as casu marzu.