4. John Burgess
This very much depends on both local and national law.
It is illegal to import haggis into the US, for example, because it contains sheep lung, which is not deemed “human food” by the federal government. California has made foie gras illegal; Chicago did that, but later rescinded the law. Of course, adulterated foods are illegal, too, in every country that has the ability to test for adulteration.
It is illegal in the US, in most circumstances, to sell game animals that are not raised on farms. It’s not illegal to eat them, but to sell them or offer them for sale. Similar laws, both federal and state, can limit or prohibit the capture and sale of certain fish, at least during certain times of the year. Fish from certain waters known to be polluted are sometimes banned from sale and their consumption strongly discouraged.
It is illegal to sell whale, dolphin, porpoise, and manatee meat. Many states ban the sale of “road kill”. In the US, it is illegal to sell monkey meat, dog, and cat. Selling horse meat is de facto illegal as there are no legal slaughterhouses.
Cheeses made of raw milk are generally prohibited from sale in the US unless they have undergone specific aging requirements.
Various Islamic countries like Saudi Arabia make it illegal to sell any product that is not halal. That includes pork, alcohol, horse, etc. Some countries ban the sale of foods grown in countries which they disfavor — Israeli-made goods, for example, cannot be legally sold in many Arab countries, but not al
5. Matt Wasserman
The Ortolan Bunting. One of the great delicacies of French cuisine. About the size of an adult man’s thumb.
Captured, force fed (if you put them in a dark box full of food they can’t stop eating), killed by drowning in brandy, then roasted and eaten whole.
Anthony Bourdain wrote a whole chapter about this experience in one of his books.
Francis Mitterrand had Ortolan as part of his last meal.
This is, apparently, a Big Deal.
6. Inna Vishik
The state of Massachusetts recently banned escolar AKA butterfish AKA walu. This fish was sometimes substituted for white tuna, and can cause gastrointestinal distress if you eat too much.
This is unfortunate because good escolar tastes better than albacore which it allegedly impersonates on menus and at fish markets. Good escolar is the most amazing, succulent, buttery fish I have ever tasted. You only need a few pieces of sashimi to be satisfied, which is not nearly enough to cause you and your spouse to sleep in separate rooms that night.
