Monsters Inside Me : Menu Items Containing Parasites : Animal Planet

Menu Items Most Likely to Contain Parasites

By Robert Lamb, HowStuffWorks.com

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If I kill it, can I eat it raw? Learn all about eating raw meat at HowStuffWorks.com.

3. STEAK TARTARE

What's this, more raw meat? Do you see a pattern forming here? Naturally, steak or lamb tartare can offer an excellent risk for parasitic infection. Not only does the whole dish revolve around raw meat, but many recipes call for the addition of a raw egg as well. While a delectable treat in Asia, Eastern Europe and Ethiopia, all that raw meat serves up the risk for roundworms and the intracellular bacteria parasites salmonella, E.coli and Listeria monocytogenes.

The key here is to order tartare only from a reputable establishment. If you're going to eat it raw, you're going to want a very fresh, certified cut of meat and you're going to want it prepared in a hygienic environment. Some chefs put an emphasis on the use of grass-fed livestock, as the bacteria in grain-fed animals become acclimatized to an acidic environment, preparing them for survival in the human gut. Also, freezing a cut of beef for 14 days should wipe out any parasitic risks.

Steak and lamb tartare dishes (as well as other raw meats) remain a delicacy throughout the world and there's no reason to cease your enjoyment of them. Just exercise a little caution when choosing where you order it.

Still hungry? Choose your next meal wisely:

5. Escargot Hungry for hot-buttered snails? Remember that a snail's diet can include parasite-rich fecal matter and carrion.		4. Sushi and Sashimi If you enjoy eating fresh, uncooked fish, just be prepared to eat whatever else has been living inside of it.
3. Steak Tartare What's this, more raw meat? Do you see a pattern forming here? Yes, even classy food can make you sick.		2. Pink Hamburger of Doom The low-rent option of consuming raw meat is, not surprisingly, even more likely to fill you full of parasites.
1. Ham and Pork Sandwiches Interestingly enough, one of the more statistically risky menu items isn't even raw. See what you might be signing up for when you eat pork.

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