Veal

Originally veal was taken from calves who hadn’t yet had a chance to graze on grass and whose only sustenance was their mother’s milk. Because their diet was naturally low in iron, the flesh of the calves remained pink and had a delicate fragrance of fresh milk. Today most commercial veal is raised under artificial conditions on specially formulated feed. The calves are allowed little freedom of movement and are fed antibiotics to prevent illness in the overcrowded conditions.

It’s worth searching out veal that has been raised under healthy and humane conditions, preferably on a small farm. In some parts of the country veal can be difficult to find and even more so if you start getting fussy about how the veal was raised. The best way to find farm-raised veal is to call around to local butchers, health food stores, or restaurants known to serve organic foods. You can also use the mail-order sources at the back of this book.