He Who Tastes Knows

"He Who Tastes Knows" is an old Sufi saying. Instead of translating it metaphorically I am going to tackle it literally. This only makes sense when your profession is food. Lets talk beef, literally.
Over the past few decades our food chain has been radically altered. Small family run farms have been eclipsed by large commercial operations. The focus changed from providing a family and community with locally raised animals to large commercial feed operations whose focus is profitability as it pertains to one thing:money
The practice of good animal husbandry is completely void from these large commercial feed operations. What is the definition of good animal husbandry? I will give you my definition. The animals should be able to roam freely, have access to natural sunlight, good clean water and pastures on which to graze. They should not be fed antibiotics prophylactically nor should they eat grain; cows are herbivores. Feeding a cow grain forces their body, metabolically into a diabetic state. They become fat and unhealthy. Who wants to eat meat from an animal that is fat and unhealthy? Well, I'll tell you, Americans do! Our palates have developed a taste for meat that has been raised, shall I say, without good animal husbandry. Unless you buy meat that is labeled grass-fed and antibiotic-free you are most likely purchasing meat from "the other source."
Back to the topic, taste. How does the manner in which an animal is raised effect taste? An animal raised naturally will produce meat that is leaner, lower in saturated fat and higher in omega 3's. It is a cleaner tasting product.
I would encourage everyone to seek out locally raised beef from farms that have an "open door" policy. This means you can visit the farm and see for yourself how happy the animals are. You can find this information at your local Farmers Market or Co-op.
When you taste meat from an animal that is raised well you'll know!

Amy