My monthly lecture series with Jonathan Soma of the Brooklyn Brainery, Masters of Social Gastronomy, has begun podcasting here! Monthly updates will feature recordings of our live events (in case you miss them, or don’t live in the NYC area) as well as exclusive online content.
This month, we’re presenting a web-only podcast on the science, history, and controversy surrounding the consumption on unpasteurized (raw) milk.
It’s 18 minutes of facts and laughs. Listen above, or download it here.
For further reading, here are some relevant links:
The Official Masters of Social Gastronomy Tumblr, for related articles and future events: http://hellomsg.tumblr.com/
“The Swill is Gone” – op-ed in New York Times about the history of bad milk in New York.
“The Great Milk Wars” on Brooklyn Brownstowner, has some images of swill milk cows.
“Taste Test: Local New York Milk” on Serious Eats.
“A Raw Milk Taste-Test” follow-up to “Raw Deal,” The New Yorker’s article on raw milk. New Yorker Culture Desk blog.
And I want to thank the Lower East Side Tenement Museum for providing much of what I know about the history of milk in New York City. The Museum gives a tour called Irish Outsiders which focuses on sanitary conditions, health and adulterated milk supplies in mid-19th century New York.
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Thoughts on the raw milk debate? Please feel free to leave a comment on this post.
And for more MSG podcasts, check out the recording of our live lecture on the history and science of Candy here!
I was only able to purchase raw milk for about 8 months many years ago. We’d go down to the farm, greet the “girls” and have the milk drawn directly from the holding tank. It was marvelous. My only complaint was that the milk stayed good for only about five days before it started to sour. Better storage on our part might have fixed that.
Obviously, I have no problems with raw milk. However, we knew the dairy, the cows, and the limitations. Others with the same confidence should have the same opportunity.
I had my own milk cow for a while, which set the bar pretty high for anything storebought. Raw milk has much stricter handling protocols, so let alone the benefit of it not being cooked and tortured(homogenized), it’s just more ‘alive’.
I made cheese, butter, yogurt, fed whey to my hens, it was heaven! http://seventreesfarm.wordpress.com/2008/05/05/thank-you-stella/ But having a milk cow also means having a calf, which means having a pregnant cow, which means renting a bull. It got complicated. So I sold the cow.
Luckily I live in serious dairy country, and have a choice not only of raw or cooked milk, but what species and breed I prefer. Our current fave is raw Guernsey milk. We’re eating primal, so we make kefir from it instead of just drinking it. It’s $9.25 a gallon, but well worth it. We also by raw Jersey cream sometimes. It’s not thick like whipping cream, but rich and great in coffee. That costs like $7 a quart.
We’ve tried our local raw goat milk (Oberhasli breed) because we pondered getting a dairy goat, but it’s much easier to support our local dairy and pay for their time & effort. There are also some great local dairies that do pasteurize their milk, but in a low-key way that preserves the flavor.
I never buy milk from any place I haven’t seen in person. And some of the conventional dairies in my area are filthy hell holes. No wonder they have to pre-cook the milk!
The FDA’s FAQ on raw milk makes for a pretty good read. Hopefully everyone drinking raw milk is aware of the safety issues and the science. You all seem like a particularly well-educated group!
http://www.fda.gov/food/foodsafety/product-specificinformation/milksafety/ucm122062.htm
I grew up with a cow and raw milk, and for my two cents, fresh milk is pretty awesome, but homogenization does more to milk IMHO than pasteurization.
I would’ve liked to have tried raw milk – sounds like something I would be interested in trying. However, my sensitive lactose tummy can only stomach Almond/Soy Milk
You actually make it seem really easy together with your presentation however I to find this topic to be actually something which I believe I’d never understand. It kind of feels too complex and extremely huge for me. I am taking a look forward for your next put up, I’ll try to get the cling of it!