An increasing number of high-end chefs are cooking with blood…and it’s not about the shock factor.
The book of Leviticus, chapter 17, verses 13 and 14 tells us: “Any . . . who hunts any animal or bird that may be eaten must drain out the blood and cover it with earth, because the life of every creature is its blood. That is why I have said to the Israelites, ‘You must not eat the blood of any creature, because the life of every creature is its blood . . .’” Bram Stoker paraphrased this bit of Scripture in DRACULA, preserving it in the form recognizable to any fan of vampire fiction: “For the blood is the life.” (From this we can deduce that there cannot be any kosher vampires.) It bears mentioning, though, that this rule was meant for the ancient Israelites alone, although today most people living in the First World also eschew the use of blood in their cooking. This is changing, however.
From traditional dishes like blood pudding and blood sausage to more exotic fare like Filipino pork blood stew, prized for its thickness and sweetness of flavor, and morcilla de cordero, a pie made with sheep’s blood and apples, the taboo seems to be slipping. And there are lots of folks who like their steaks so rare as to be described as “bloody.” Anybody hungry?
