The Controversial Foie Gras: France’s Delicacy Under Fire
Foie gras is banned state-wide in California, and in New York City, yet this controversial French delicacy remains perfectly legal throughout most of America. Force-feeding ducks and geese to produce foie gras is already banned in the UK, Czech Republic, Denmark, Italy, Finland, Norway, Poland, Switzerland, Germany, Sweden, Australia, Argentina, Turkey, and Israel. The production method involves cramming metal tubes down birds’ throats to force-feed them enormous amounts of grain.
What makes this particularly shocking is that as of 2016, only five European countries still produce foie gras: Belgium, Bulgaria, France, Hungary and Spain. Meanwhile, American diners in forty-eight states can freely order this luxury item at upscale restaurants. This process is repeated up to three times a day until the bird’s liver becomes diseased – often growing up to 10 times its standard size. Force-fed ducks and geese have a mortality rate of up to 20 times higher than non-force-fed birds.
Raw Milk Cheeses: European Staples Forbidden in America
To this day, they use raw cow’s milk and mature the wheels for four weeks. As a result of this, the FDA has banned this cheese in the United States. Traditional French cheeses like Brie de Meaux and Époisses represent centuries of artisanal cheesemaking yet remain banned in America due to raw milk restrictions.
Raw milk cheeses make up about 18 percent of France’s total cheese production and are considered far superior to cheeses made from pasteurized milk. Many French cuisine traditionalists consider pasteurized cheeses almost a sacrilege. It is legally permitted to sell raw (unpasteurized) milk in all European Union countries, except Scotland. In the EU, all raw milk products are considered legal and considered safe for human consumption and can be sold without any price, variety or quantity restrictions.
The Legendary Mont d’Or: Black Market Cheese
Mont d’Or is the holy grail of French cheese. The tasty fromage is only made once a year between August 15 and March 15. But because it’s made with unpasteurized milk, it can’t be sold in the United States. This seasonal delicacy has achieved almost mythical status among cheese lovers who describe desperate attempts to smuggle it across borders.
By French AOC certification law, it cannot be made from pasteurized milk, so it can never be allowed in the United States. It’s then that you realize it’s the gangster, white truffle of all cheeses. This is the black market cheese. The creamy, unctuous texture that develops from raw milk creates flavors impossible to replicate with pasteurization, making it a culinary treasure that Americans can only experience abroad.
Casu Marzu: The World’s Most Dangerous Cheese
Casu Marzu is a maggot-infested cheese that originates from the Italian island of Sardinia. Effectively, the Guinness Book of World Records recognised this traditional product at the most deadly cheese in the world in 2009. This Sardinian delicacy contains live insect larvae that digest the cheese from within, creating a creamy texture prized by locals.
Cheese skipper flies, Piophila casei, lay their eggs in cracks that form in wheels of Fiore Sardo. Afterwards, their maggots hatch and make their way through the insides of the cheese. Over time, they digest the milk proteins and transform the insides of this Pecorino into a soft creamy cheese. While banned in the US for obvious health reasons, Sardinians consider it an aphrodisiac and continue consuming it with gusto.
Kinder Surprise Eggs: Childhood Treats Deemed Dangerous
Kinder Surprise Eggs, a popular treat among children worldwide, have been banned in the United States for decades. This ban dates back to the Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act of 1938, which prohibits the sale of any candy that contains a non-nutritive object. Kinder Surprise Eggs, produced by Ferrero, consist of a chocolate shell with a small toy encased inside, which falls under this regulation.
The primary reason for this ban is the choking hazard posed by the small toy inside the chocolate egg. The FDA enforces strict guidelines to ensure that food products do not pose a risk to consumers, especially children. In the case of Kinder Surprise Eggs, the concern is that young children might accidentally swallow the toy, leading to potentially severe choking incidents. Meanwhile, children across Europe, Canada, and South America continue enjoying these chocolate surprises without incident.
Blood Sausage: A European Breakfast Staple
Blood sausage, known as black pudding in Britain or boudin noir in France, remains a cornerstone of traditional European breakfasts but faces restrictions in American food systems. The USDA prohibits the commercial sale of blood-based sausages due to strict regulations on blood as a food ingredient and concerns about potential contamination.
European countries have maintained centuries-old traditions of blood sausage production with rigorous safety standards that differ from American regulations. The rich, iron-heavy delicacy provides essential nutrients and represents cultural heritage across Ireland, Scotland, Germany, and France. American visitors to Europe often discover this forbidden breakfast item and develop unexpected appreciation for its unique flavor profile.
Ortolan Birds: France’s Controversial Songbird Delicacy
According to the French, the little songbirds known as ortolans are delicious. But the process of preparing them is gruesome: Traditionally, they are force-fed and drowned in Armagnac brandy before they’re cooked. They are then consumed whole, beaks and all. This tiny songbird represents the ultimate forbidden delicacy in American cuisine.
But what’s even more disturbing is that the birds are endangered. As a result, it is illegal to consume ortolan in the United States under the Endangered Species Act. French gourmands traditionally eat ortolans with towels draped over their heads, supposedly to hide their shame from God while consuming this precious creature.
Haggis: Scotland’s National Dish
Scotland’s beloved haggis faces a peculiar ban in America due to USDA restrictions on sheep lungs as food ingredients. This traditional dish combines sheep’s heart, liver, and lungs with oatmeal and spices, wrapped in the animal’s stomach lining. The lung component specifically violates American food safety regulations that prohibit internal organs from entering the food chain.
Authentic haggis remains central to Scottish culture and Burns Night celebrations worldwide, yet Americans can only experience modified versions without the traditional lung ingredient. European food safety authorities consider properly prepared haggis completely safe, creating a cultural divide that prevents Americans from experiencing this integral part of Scottish heritage. The irony remains that Americans consume numerous processed foods with questionable ingredients while being denied access to a traditional dish with centuries of safe consumption history.
Absinthe: The Green Fairy Returns
Once banned throughout America for nearly a century, authentic absinthe containing thujone recently returned to American shelves with strict limitations. European absinthe maintains higher thujone levels and traditional production methods that remain restricted in the United States. The “Green Fairy” inspired countless artists and writers across Europe while remaining forbidden to Americans until recent regulatory changes.
Swiss and French distilleries continue producing traditional absinthe with wormwood content that exceeds American standards, creating a two-tiered market where Europeans enjoy stronger, more authentic versions. American absinthe must comply with dramatically reduced thujone limits that many enthusiasts argue fundamentally alter the spirit’s character and effects that made it legendary throughout European culture.
Sassafras Root Beer and Safrole
Traditional root beer made with sassafras root contains safrole, a compound banned by the FDA since 1960 due to potential carcinogenic properties. European herbal preparations and traditional medicines continue incorporating sassafras despite American restrictions, creating stark differences in available natural remedies and traditional beverages.
The ban extends to numerous European herbal preparations that Americans cannot legally purchase or import. Sassafras tea remains popular across parts of Europe and other continents where regulatory authorities have reached different conclusions about acceptable risk levels. American root beer manufacturers must use artificial sassafras flavoring or safrole-free sassafras extract, fundamentally altering the taste profile that generations enjoyed before the prohibition.
America’s relationship with food safety creates fascinating contradictions where citizens freely consume processed foods loaded with artificial additives while being denied access to traditional delicacies enjoyed safely worldwide for centuries. These banned foods represent cultural heritage, culinary artistry, and sometimes questionable regulatory priorities that separate American palates from global food experiences.
