Many fear the consumption of raw meat. The most timid gourmets order only well-done steaks and refuse real sushi. Such people only eat dishes that are cooked at high temperature. Is this concern justified? What happens if you eat raw meat?
In fact, cooking temperatures have been approved to ensure a safe diet, with the exception of any danger. But, if you strictly observe these rules, using only thermally processed products, you can miss a lot of interesting things. Raw meat dishes exist in many cuisines of the world, and they usually have a delicate taste and texture. For example, beef without processing is very soft and juicy. Combined with crispy bread, this is a terrific appetizer. Raw fish is also great. No wonder there are many national dishes from it: sashimi, sagodai, stroganina, tartare and so on.
Heat treatment is used for reinsurance, but the great taste of raw meat costs little risk. Just keep in mind some simple rules.
What meat is eaten raw?
Eating any kind of raw meat can be risky, but some types are more dangerous than others. It depends on what microorganisms live in this type of animal. Raw fish can be infected with dangerous parasites, but, as a rule, if it was frozen and properly stored, it can be eaten without fear.
What about meats like beef, chicken and pork? The bacteria that live in these animals - strains of Salmonella and E. coli, tend to be more dangerous to humans than microorganisms living in fish.
Many harmful microbes are carried by flies over the skin of cattle. Therefore, they are not in the muscles. But beef can be contaminated if the butcher accidentally pierces the digestive tract. Thus, meat can have bacteria on its surface.
What happens if you eat raw beef? If it is not contaminated or cleaned, there is no danger. This is the safest type of meat, and it is most often eaten without heat treatment.
Why not eat raw pork?
What happens if you eat raw pork meat? The danger associated with eating it has decreased in recent years, but you should not eat it anyway. There is a risk that you will become infected with one of two unpleasant parasites: trichinella or pork tapeworm.
You have probably heard of trichinosis. This is a parasite that settles in your small intestine after you eat infected meat, and pigs are not the only animals that can carry it. Raw meat from a bear, cougar, wolf, fox and walrus is also a potential carrier.
However, in some parts of Germany, a raw pork dish called mettbretchen, which is a national landmark, is common. To prepare it, minced pork rolls into “hedgehogs”, and onion slices stick into them in the form of “spines”. But there, in 1999, 52 cases of trichinosis were recorded.
Is raw chicken safe?
What happens if you eat raw chicken meat? This is extremely undesirable. Most dangerous microorganisms are often found in birds. Cooking it to an internal temperature of 74 ° C will kill these germs.
This white meat may contain either Salmonella or Campylobacter, or both. Salmonella bacteria live in the intestines of many farm animals, especially in poultry. This can cause an intestinal infection in humans and can lead to food poisoning, gastroenteritis, and even typhoid fever.
Campylobacter can catch the chicken when it comes in contact with the feces of other animals. The most common symptom of this infection is bloody diarrhea. In some cases, this can also lead to more serious complications.
How to choose beef?
Ready ground beef can contain meat from 100 to 2000 different cows in one package. If it is cooked with you, you will be sure how many pieces of meat from how many carcasses could be used. This reduces the likelihood of foodborne illness. If you buy a whole piece, you will be sure that you are dealing with only one cow.
Is it possible to poison raw meat? In general, the inside of the animal meat after cutting the carcass is essentially sterile. Caution must be observed only with the surface. It is on it that bacteria settle and multiply. Even if the minced meat is made from one piece, the outside of the meat will be mixed in it with the inside. To avoid the danger of poisoning, cook the minced meat yourself, after washing the meat and cutting off its outer layers. This will keep the beef fresh and clean.
How to choose a fish?
What happens if you eat some raw fish meat? Despite the fact that many dishes from this product are known, it sometimes contains parasitic worms and their larvae. But you can protect yourself as follows. If you place the fish in a home freezer for at least five days, this will help to avoid infection with parasites. In addition, this product is most often sold frozen if you do not live near the sea.
In the same way as in the case of meat, bacterial poisoning should be feared. Therefore, remember the following: high-quality fish should not have a sharp "fish" smell. If you buy a whole carcass, pay attention to its consistency and stains. Fresh product will be resilient and clean.
Keep the product in the cold.
What happens if you eat raw meat from the refrigerator? Although keeping food in the cold will not kill the bacteria, it can slow their growth. A person is constantly exposed to microorganisms, but the danger is only potentially harmful.
Bacteria causing food poisoning are rare if the product has been stored properly. Therefore, store raw meat in the refrigerator if you want to eat it without processing.
What is prepared from raw meat?
There are many such dishes around the world. The most famous of them include:
- Steak tartare or just tartare (France). The original raw beef dish is a steak cut into pieces, served with the sauce of the same name. The second version is raw minced meat with sauce and raw egg yolk.
- Kitfo (Ethiopia). Minced beef, Ethiopian spices and herbs with butter. This mixture is applied to tortillas and eaten with goat cheese.
- Kibbeh (Middle East). This is a dish of chopped meat, onions and bulgur, which looks like small balls. They eat it with bread or flat cakes.
- Carpaccio (Italy). A dish like steak tartare. Thinly sliced beef carpaccio is probably the most famous raw dish. It is named after a Venetian painter named Vittore Carpaccio, who painted in red and white in 1950. However, raw beef was eaten in this region of the world for a very long time, they just called it differently.
- Stroganina (regions of the Far North). Thinly sliced frozen meat is served with a mixture of salt and black pepper.