If you were planning on indulging in some cannibal sandwiches over the holidays, health officials with the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) suggest you don’t.
The USDA isn’t talking about the kind of sandwiches that Hannibal Lecter would serve his guests at a dinner party, but rather a dish featuring raw ground beef, served up with some onions on some bread or crackers.
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Apparently cannibal sandwiches — more commonly known as steak tartare or tiger meat — are popular with Americans living in the Midwest and many become sick over the holidays after indulging in the delicacy.
The cannibal sandwich is “dangerous because it is uncooked, meaning it can still contain harmful bacteria that can cause foodborne illness, which are only killed by cooking ground beef to 160°F,” the USDA warned. “Don’t become a statistic this year. Raw meat is never safe to consume.”
If you still insist on serving the sandwiches, the USDA is suggesting a healthy alternative: actually cook the meat.
“You may be surprised to find that it tastes better when cooked!” the agency said. “Not to mention, you won’t be risking a trip to the hospital with every mouthful.”
Since 1986, the state of Wisconsin has gone through eight outbreaks of foodborne illnesses linked to the consumption of raw ground beef, according to the USDA.
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