The Wisconsin health department warns its people that eating 'tiger meat' or 'steak tartare' can cause sickness from bacteria that thrive in raw meat.
According to CNN, the Cannibal Sandwich, also known as Tiger meat or steak tartare, is considered a holiday favorite in the state. It consists of raw ground beef on bread with sliced onions, salt, and pepper. However, residents are being urged by health officials to abstain from eating the traditional holiday dish this year to avoid getting sick.
Salmonella outbreak in Wisconsin
Reports from USA Today say that The Wisconsin Department of Health Services gave a warning to residents to stop eating raw meat sandwiches and raw ground beef, which is processed using various types of machinery in a factory.
These are susceptible to cross-contamination from bacteria that can cause fatal Salmonella and E. coli infections. However, this warning and various reactions to it from Wisconsinites who refuse to follow the directive quickly went viral.
One commenter even swore that in 60 years of eating raw meat sandwiches, he's never become ill. Nonetheless, the Wisconsin health department said that eating raw meat is NEVER recommended, and ground beef should always be cooked to 160F.
According to a blogpost back in 2018 by the US Department of Agriculture, hundreds of people in the Midwest got sick after eating cannibal sandwiches every year.
Records from the Wisconsin DHS website showed that in 1986, there had been eight raw meat-related outbreaks. Meanwhile, in 1994, a salmonella outbreak affected more than 150 people.
Cannibal Sandwiches
As it turns out, raw ground beef sandwiches are not so strange when you consider that many cultures all over the world incorporate raw meat into their dishes.
In Lebanon, they have a dish called Kibbe nay yeh made of raw lamb. Meanwhile, in South Korea, a dish called yukhoe refers to raw beef topped with egg yolk.
The tiger meat of Wisconsin is favorably compared to steak or tuna tartare. The only difference is that those dishes were prepared from fresh, high-quality cuts of meat and not pre-processed and packaged ground meat.
However, there is no truth to rumors that Wisconsinites are picking up random packs of ground beef in order to prepare a sandwich.
A freelance writer, a native of Wisconsin, claims that the tiger sandwich is prepared on special occasions only. It was usually on a party platter for the more working-class family.
The tiger sandwich is said to be treated like a delicacy that is why it is rare to have. In addition, those who prepare this dish don't think too much about health guidelines.
Reports also say that there was ground beef explicitly marked for the purpose of preparing the dish at the grocery store. Other residents claim that raw meat was sold pre-packaged at the supermarket butcher and was already seasoned and with onions.
Additionally, it was said that due to health concerns, the practice has mostly ended over the last couple of decades. It turns out that the safety-first attitude mindset is already adopted by the younger generation.
