As delectable as pork momos are, inadequately-cooked meat filling could be the reason you catch a tapeworm infection in the brain, warn Indian scientists. They have taken science to kitchens by suggesting simple steps to improve the quality of northeast India’s traditional and much-loved product.
Momos – steamed or fried folded dough pressed around fillings of meat, condiments and vegetables – are ubiquitous in northeastern states and are among the top pig-out foods in Himachal Pradesh, West Bengal and Uttarakhand.
Thomas said that while Indian Council of Medical Research data suggests the incidence of neurocysticercosis had alarmingly shot up in the recent past, no uniformity exists in the manner in which pork momos are cooked across the region. In developing countries, neurocysticercosis is the most common parasitic disease of the nervous system, and the main cause of acquired epilepsy.
So to rustle up a standard processing technique, a one-of-a-kind study was carried out by Thomas and colleagues, S Naskar, N H Mohan and D K Sarma, across 100 fast food outlets (mostly unauthorised ones) in both rural and urban localities of Assam’s Kamrup district.
The study published in January in the Indian Journal of Traditional Knowledge notes:
Based on the analysis, the researchers recommend two standardised techniques perfected at the institute’s pork processing unit.
While the trick to hygienic momos lie in temperature control, the scientists also hope food stall owners and consumers become more aware about food safety standards.
(Sahana Ghosh is a political analyst. This article has been published in a special arrangement with IANS.)
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