Sardines' coveted kosher status was thrown into jeopardy last March when whole sardines from Portugal, Norway, Scotland and Poland, were found to have small parasitic worms. The Orthodox Union advised Jews who would keep kosher to abstain from eating them, because they were discovered around the internal organs of some sardines. Parasites found in the flesh of fish are permitted, but those found in the stomach, head, behind the ears, etc. are forbidden. But if you're just hearing about this now, there's no need to go burn your entire sardines cache, because science has saved the sardines' reputation.
The Times reports that Rabbis from the Orthodox Union brought samples of the sardines in question to the American Museum of Natural History, where a professor in the invertebrate department of the museum conducted DNA testing. The tests revealed that the type of worms in the samples were only in the flesh of sardines. "This meant that there was no evidence that the intestines and the flesh had been commingled," Dr. Mark Siddall tells the Times.
Should you be disgusted by the thought of parasitical worms in fish, rest assured it's quite common! "The notion that there are worms in fish flesh is not new," Dr. Siddall says. "As long as they’re cooked, or frozen first, they’re perfectly safe. It is up to the individual’s aesthetic as to whether that is ‘yucky,’ I’ve eaten worse. Curdled goose blood. Rhino beetle larvae. Both yummy. But that’s another story." Rhino beetle larvae?! Come on doc, you can't leave us hanging there, finish the story!
