10 Products We Made Illegal

When you look at our entire culinary history, you see thousands, if not millions of dishes that have been developed all over the world over time. There is no way that anyone could ever taste them all, and there is no way that anyone could ever like them all. And maybe that is part of the beauty of cooking and eating; your tastes are your own, and you are free to enjoy what you like and ignore what you don’t. However, sometimes the government has to step in and decide that no one can eat a certain food for one reason or another.

10. Haggis

When you think of world cuisine, there are a few dishes that symbolize the countries they hail from. Poutine and maple syrup are distinctly Canadian. Sushi is entirely Japanese. And when you think of Scottish food, you probably think of haggis.

Traditional haggis is made from the offal of a sheep. This includes the internal organs such as the heart, liver and lungs. This meat is mixed with fillers that give it body and flavour. Things like oatmeal, onions, suet and spices. It's all mixed together like meatballs or sausages and then traditionally rolled into the animal's stomach and then cooked.

These days, there are dozens, if not hundreds, of different ways to cook haggis. As with any food, recipes have evolved, and chefs have come up with unique and modern ways to prepare the dish. Restaurants offer haggis made not only from sheep, but also from beef, venison, rabbit, and rare game meats. However, it is traditional haggis that has been banned in America.

In particular, the USDA has banned the sale of sheep lung. According to their standards, this ingredient inedible and therefore cannot be included. For this reason, if you want to make it in America, you must exclude this ingredient. So if you are a fan of traditional haggis, you are out of luck in the United States unless you are willing to compromise and replace this key ingredient.

9. Horse meat

Few foods cause as much controversy even to this day as horse meat . For some, it is no different than slaughtering a cow or a pig, which is a common and everyday occurrence in America. For others, the horse is more like a dog or a cat. These are animals that people associated with it consider closer to pets than livestock.

Because of the taboo against eating horse meat, it is banned in many states, though not all. Horse slaughter in the United States has a history of several years, but traditionally it has been an export business. The horses would be killed and the meat shipped overseas. Both Canada and Mexico allow horse slaughter for meat.

8. Beluga caviar

Beluga caviar, which comes from the beluga sturgeon, is one of the most expensive products in the world. One kilogram of caviar from these fish will cost you approximately $35,000 . That's about 50% worth the same weight of pure gold. One of the reasons for the incredible price of beluga caviar is its rarity. The fish from which it is extracted is native to the Caspian Sea and is seriously endangered. The population has declined over the past century. approximately 70% This is largely due to illegal poaching and overfishing.

Because the fish is endangered, the caviar was banned in America in 2005 to curb the population and help preserve the species. Today, if you want to have beluga caviar in America, there is only one legal source thanks to a businessman who invested in some of the fish back in 2003 and imported it into the country before the ban went into effect.

7. Aki

Ackee, the national fruit of Jamaica, is extremely popular on the island and is well represented in Jamaican and island cuisine. Ackee and saltfish are something you should find in any Jamaican restaurant. The fruit itself is a bit unusual and has a savory, creamy taste. And it has also been banned in the United States.

The reason for the prohibition of aki is that if the fruit is not prepared properly, it is actually toxic . It contains the so-called toxin hypoglycin A, which can dangerously lower blood sugar levels. It also causes vomiting, drowsiness and possibly death. So the key and the product are usually safe, but fresh can be potentially dangerous. In addition, the seeds and pulp of the fruit can also be dangerous.

6. Kinder Surprise Eggs

Children all over the world love Kinder Surprise eggs. Inside the chocolate shell is a tiny plastic egg with some kind of toy hidden inside. If you've ever had one, you know that the toy is usually a pretty cheap trinket that certainly won't change your life, but the surprise is more the fun behind the idea than anything else.

Although Kinder eggs are loved by children across Europe, Asia, and Canada, the United States has moved against them. Because the tiny toy can have even smaller parts inside, it poses a danger to children, at least from the perspective of the United States government. The ban on Kinder eggs dates back to 1938, when government policy deemed the contents unacceptable non-caloric ingredients in any food product Kinder eggs had not yet been invented at the time, but when they were introduced in the 1970s, they met the requirements of this ban and were therefore never allowed in the country.

5. Fugu

By now, almost everyone has heard of the Japanese delicacy known as fugu. This preparation of fugu fish was even parodied in The Simpsons" in an episode that aired back in 1991. The reason it has become infamous is because if it is not prepared correctly, fugu will kill you .

Similar to poison dart frogs, the puffer fish is not technically toxic in itself. It is its diet that makes it so dangerous. The puffer fish feeds on snails and other poisonous little creatures of the deep, and these toxins are filtered out by the fish's liver. The liver is incredibly toxic, and if even the slightest cut is made when preparing it for food, the toxin will leak out through the entire fish. It is believed that just one puffer fish liver contains enough poison to kill about 30 adult humans. Additionally, the rest of the fish's organs will also have traces of the toxin.

Once you ingest the toxin, you will have between half an hour and four hours of respiratory failure before eventually dying. There is no treatment for tetrodotoxin in the liver, so it is best avoided. Despite this, humans have apparently been eating this fish for over 4,000 years.

Japanese chefs who want to become fugu masters must train for at least three years to master the art. In America, they just decided to ban the fish to prevent any potential problems, as several people still die from fugu poisoning every year.

4. Absinthe

Absinthe, also known as the Green Fairy, is the drink of choice for literary types and those who consider themselves a bit gothic. The incredibly strong and incredibly bitter spirit has a reputation for its association with famous literary giants like Ernest Hemingway and Oscar Wilde.

Ask anyone today why absinthe was so popular, and you'll probably hear about a chemical called thujone. A distillation product of the wormwood plant from which absinthe is made, thujone was thought to have psychoactive properties, which made it so appealing to artists. It would broaden their horizons and allow them to go on little trips and become more creative. It was for this reason that absinthe was actually banned in the United States. Only in the last few years has absinthe been allowed to be sold again, and the amount of thujone must meet federal regulations.

The irony is that studies have shown that old absinthe contains no more thujone than modern absinthe. Actually in absinthe there is nothing at all , that would have psychoactive properties. This includes modern absinthe or older bottles, which have also been studied. So where did the reputation come from? Some of it was probably just propaganda, some of it was probably due to chronic alcoholism related to the fact that absinthe is about 140 proof, and the rest was probably due to improper distillation that resulted in contaminated batches.

3. Foie gras

Foie gras is the liver of a duck or goose that has grown to an obscene size due to the birds being force-fed in captivity. They actually grow to about eight times their natural size, making them a gourmet delicacy, but technically they are also an example of a horribly diseased liver. And it is for this reason that foie gras has been under attack for years due to of a cruel nature method of its production.

While it’s long been considered a delicacy in places like Europe, groups are taking their faxes all over America, including the most recent group in 2019 in New York State. California passed a ban in 2004, which took eight years to fully take effect. But there’s a lot of money in the industry, so there have been legal challenges that have so far been unsuccessful. As more groups take action, it seems likely that a nationwide ban could be in the future.

2. Ortolan

The Ortolan Bunting is about six inches tall and can be found throughout Europe and parts of Western Asia. Although their numbers are stable in most countries, they have declined significantly in France. The French delicacy of the Ortolan has caused the population to fall so low that the animals have been listed as a protected species, and hunting of the Ortolan was banned in France in 1999. Despite the ban, the law has never been very strictly enforced.

That humans eat ortolan is not a terrible thing about their fate, we eat all kinds of birds. It is the way ortolan is prepared that has led countries like the United States to ban it from being served as food. The traditional recipe calls for the bird to be molded. Without the benefit of its eyesight, it will eat constantly and gorge itself on any seeds or fruits. Then, as with foie gras, the little birds become extremely fat from overeating.

Once they reach a suitable size, the bird is immersed in Armagnac brandy , to drown and marinate the animal. At this point they are fried, and then, once cooked, the idea is to eat them whole, feet first.

Although it is illegal in France, it is believed that around 30,000 a year are still caught and sold illegally for around $180 a bird. French chefs still love the idea, and there are many unpleasant descriptions of eating the bird, describing the transcendent moment when its tiny ribcage breaks in your mouth.

Part of the ritual of eating poultry is to place the napkin you use for your dinner over your head to hide your face. There are two reasons for this. One is to allow the napkin to catch the aroma of the bird before you eat it, and the other is supposedly to hide the sin of what you are doing from God.

1. Sea turtle

There was a time when sea turtle was considered a special occasion food. People ate it the way they would eat turkey today. Not an everyday dish, but still a special dish. Abraham Lincoln was served turtle at his second inauguration. Turtle soup For many years, it was a national favorite. Campbell's Soup used to sell cans of imitation turtle soup made from calf's heads instead of turtles because turtles were becoming harder and harder to find. And that's the main reason why turtles were banned. They were eaten to the point of critical danger.

Today, species like green sea turtles are federally protected as endangered species. It is now a felony to kill and eat these creatures, so you won't find them on the menu anymore.