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Milwaukee – Wisconsin Health Services officials have warned against calling the Wisconsin holiday a traditional “cannibal sandwich.”
Watch: Trying the “Cannibal Sandwich” on the Fox 6 Wakeup
The Wisconsin Historical Society’s website “Cannibal Sandwich” features raw, lean ground beef served with bread (especially rye cocktail bread) with sliced onion, salt and pepper.
It is also known as “tiger meat,” “steak tartare” or simply “raw beef and onions”.
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According to the Wisconsin Historical Society, these sandwiches are traditionally served at holiday parties and other festive gatherings in the Milwaukee area. Milwaukee historian John Kurta, who worked at his 1977 wedding reception, told Fox News in 2013 that sandwiches had been a festive meal in German, Polish and other ethnic communities in the Milwaukee area since the 19th century, at a time when wedding receptions, funerals and Christmas Check them out at New Year’s Eve treats.
According to TasteofHome.com, it can be topped with a raw egg yolk, and there are other versions besides beef, including venison, lamb and pork tartare.
State health officials warn that ground beef should always be cooked to 160 degrees, and that “eating raw meat is never recommended because it may contain bacteria.”
According to the DHS, Salmonella, E. coli O157: H7, Campylobacter and Listeria are bacteria found in raw and undercooked beef, and these risks are real wherever you buy ground beef.
DHS website notes There have been eight outbreaks of raw ground beef since 1986, including a major salmonella outbreak in December 1994 involving more than 150 people.
For more information on how to prevent food poisoning during the holidays, check out the Food Safety page on the DHS website.