23 thoughts on “Europe Question”

  1. It turns out that, here in America, eggs are refrigerated because the U.S. Department of Agriculture requires eggs sold for consumption to be washed, processed, and then refrigerated before they come anywhere near a store’s shelves. On the other hand, most European and Asian countries have reached the opposite conclusion, requiring that table eggs not be wet-washed, and also not refrigerated.

    If this seems counterintuitive and confusing to you, you’re not the only one.

    Both regulations were arrived at as effective ways to solve the same problem: reducing exposure to salmonella, a bacteria that causes unpleasant, though non-life-threatening, illness. 

    …

    Eggs can be infected by salmonella in one of two ways: First, bacteria can be passed from an infected hen to her eggs as they develop inside her. Second, it can grow on the outside of the shell after an egg is laid if it comes in contact with a hen’s feces.

    While the problem of infected chickens was tough to tackle before things like vaccines became safe and widely accepted, the problem of keeping bacteria off of eggshells was addressed, here in the U.S. at least, by washing.

    …
    By 1970, the U.S. had perfected an egg washing system that was easy, effective, and produced squeaky-clean eggs. The only catch was that, after washing, these eggs had to be refrigerated. The trade-off for beautifully spotless and bacteria-free eggs is that washing also removes a thin, filmy, protective outer layer called the cuticle. This cuticle is the magical natural shield that keeps bacteria out of an egg while letting oxygen circulate.

    It’s also the reason for this discrepancy in the way eggs are handled around the world. Without a cuticle, eggs need to be kept cold—not for the product itself, but to discourage bacterial growth in and on it. Conversely, eggs with their protective layers intact are much less likely to be infected by salmonella—at least on the inside—and because of this they don’t need to be refrigerated.

    …
    But there are other practical reasons why certain countries prepare and sell eggs the ways they do.

    In some places, the cost of refrigerating eggs all the way up and down the supply chain from washing to selling is simply too high. In instances like this, it’s better not to wash and refrigerate eggs because doing so will make them more susceptible to infection if they are not kept cool.

    The case for refrigeration, however, is bolstered by the fact that the shelf life of refrigerated eggs is around 45 days, whereas unrefrigerated eggs are good for only about 21 days. This means that our squeaky clean and refreshingly cool American eggs do last longer than their cosmopolitan counterparts. And that’s important for a large country with a complex, high-mileage national food system.

    https://www.organicvalley.coop/blog/why-does-us-refrigerate-eggs/

    Liked by 2 people

    Reply

  2. What el said. Also euros have this ultra high temperature (UHT) pasteurized milk that doesn’t need to be refrigerated. It has never tasted right to me. Good for maybe taking on a camping trip or something but never for everyday consumption.

    Liked by 1 person

    Reply

    1. “(UHT) pasteurized milk that doesn’t need to be refrigerated. It has never tasted right to me”

      I mostly used it for a few years (especially when fresh milk was mostly sold in little plastic bags).

      Then the milk packaging improved and I tried it and the UHT…. did…. not…. tast…. right. Not terrible but kind of like powdered milk (do they still make that?)

      Now I keep a carton or two on hand if I run out of real milk.

      Like

      Reply

      1. The trick with the plastic bag milk was to have a plastic milk bag holder where you can just cut the corner of the bag, put it in holder and pour.
        Yes, the UHT milk and powdered milk tastes are quite similar. Another way to get something approximating the milk when the fresh one is missing is to dilute condensed milk sold in cans.

        Like

        Reply

        1. “trick with the plastic bag milk was to have a plastic milk bag holder”

          I had a nice little jug that held the bags in place but the bags were so small that I almost never bought more than one at a time (and used little milk overall).

          Now I buy liter jugs and use a _lot_ more fresh milk.

          Liked by 1 person

          Reply

          1. My relatives in Canada do this thing with a plastic milk bag holder. It looks cute but I always end up spilling half of it because I don’t get how it works.

            Like

            Reply

            1. When my family is in Canada we have to go for the cardboard cartons. The plastic bags just cause too much to be spilled in an area where we don’t have indoor plumbing (it’s an old one-room cottage).

              Like

              Reply

  3. As for the milk, it must have been a supermarket that only sold the UHT variety of milk. Fresh milk is sold refrigerated in Western and Central Europe, and probably in Eastern Europe as well.

    Like

    Reply

      1. Sure it’s safe, it’s just that Americans are afraid of terms like “irradiated” because we think it means “radioactive” and not “remember how UV light kills germs? Isn’t the lack of food poisoning great?”

        Liked by 1 person

        Reply

      2. Yes, it’s OK to drink, I have done it in the past. My mom used to have a box or two at home for times when the fresh milk was missing for whatever reason. However, the taste is different so I’m not sure if you will like it. The milk is shelf stable and packaged lasts for a long time. However, you should refrigerate it after opening.

        Like

        Reply

      3. Totally safe but better used for cooking rather than drinking. If you still want to drink it, it tastes better cold (as in straight from the fridge).

        Liked by 1 person

        Reply

      4. What’s sold on the shelves in the US is entirely safe to drink even at room temperature (20-22 C) as long as the packaging is intact and hasn’t bloated.

        Further details below. 🙂

        Like

        Reply

    2. “Fresh milk is sold refrigerated”

      From what I remember fresh milk isn’t that popular in Spain, mostly used just for coffee (half coffee half milk)…. and maybe some desserts or something.

      Like

      Reply

  4. In the UK there’s “shelf milk” and “refrigerator milk” which are differentiated by where they are in the shop.

    Both require refrigeration after opening and preferably before opening.

    There are also “milk pots” which are the size of three Mini Moos “creamers” in the US, and these are usually slightly higher fat milk for coffee and tea.

    Then there are “triangle milk” little tetrahedrons that range from just a bit bigger than “milk pots” to a fairly substantial size for cooking.

    These are UHT as well and are variations on “shelf milk”.

    As for the eggs, the explanation for American eggs that I’ve heard is that the American washing process weakens the shells, and as American egg farms are not free from salmonella, the eggs must be refrigerated.

    In the UK the egg farms are also not entirely free of salmonella, but the egg with its natural dirt is a sufficient barrier for a few days.

    American eggs last much longer in the refrigerator than UK eggs do on the shelf.

    Then there are Japanese eggs …

    Japanese egg farms are regulated to be free from salmonella, and so while you have to keep the eggs in a refrigerator, there’s something you can do with Japanese eggs that you can’t do with American, UK, or European eggs.

    You can eat Japanese eggs raw safely.

    Breaking an egg over rice and eating it raw with the rice is a very common thing in Japan.

    I prefer tamago rolled soufflé omelette eggs instead. 🙂

    Like

    Reply

  5. Ah … right, UHT milk is in the US as well.

    Go to the baking goods aisle and look for red and blue rectangular plastic paper boxes of milk near the condensed and evaporated milk.

    Parmalat is the most common brand you will find in the US.

    Dollar Tree also sells UHT milk, and theirs goes for $1.25 per US quart (about 950 ml) versus about $3 for Parmalat at a regular grocery store.

    It tends to be packaged to last about 8 to 10 months on the shelf from the production date.

    Once opened, it’s good for 5 days and usable in cooking for 7.

    This is not like Russian milk in huge bricks that needs to be boiled, it’s drinkable as-is, but it’s better chilled.

    You can get about a month past expiry with Mini Moos and two with UHT milk bricks, but beyond that the milk becomes clumpy and not even usable for cooking, even if the packaging stays intact.

    There’s probably some disgusting cheese you could make from it at that point. 🙂

    Like

    Reply

  6. Yesss! Real eggs (not the crap we buy in grocery stores) can sit outside of the fridge for up to 2 weeks as long as they are not washed. They have a natural coating that protects them. I remember reading about it. 🙂

    Liked by 1 person

    Reply

    2. Yeah, the expiry on refrigerated eggs is much, much longer– and in our pack-everything-and-truck-it-3000-miles grocery distribution system, this is I think the main selling point.

      Like

      Reply

  7. UHT milk (sterilised and vacuum packed) is not refrigerated, raw and pasteurised milk is in the refrigerated section and is to be used within 2-4 days. French people do not generally keep eggs in the fridge. Eggs will also be consumed within a week, maximum two.

    Like

    Reply

  8. Eggs: what el said, but can add a couple things:

    1. the water in which US eggs are washed is filthy, IIRC. It adds more contamination than it removes, so ultimately the main purpose of washing is to remove unsightly little specks of poop. I hope that’s changed since last time I read up on it, but… haven’t heard anything more recent.
    2. Once the cuticle’s washed off, any bacteria on the surface of the egg will still, mostly, stay on the surface of the egg UNLESS the egg goes through a few temperature changes. There’s a little air pocket in there, that expands and contracts with heat and cold, and that can actively suck stuff through the porous shell, so I think the theory is: minimize bacterial proliferation by chilling, and then keep it chilled for extra insurance. Letting eggs warm up on the counter, and then sticking them back in the fridge… not recommended.

    Milk: they sold most milk in bags off the shelf in Peru, too. We assumed it was because many people, like us, did not have a refrigerator. I’m not sure that applies in Spain. Now I wonder if it is some Spanish cultural thing. The primary dairy product for sale in Peru is yogurt bebible, which *is* sold out of a cold case. Mostly. We did sometimes buy it at room temperature from the corner tiendas in Cusco though, so I am not sure it is mandatory. We were guessing… maybe that’s just widespread lactose intolerance?? It was really hard to find anything like fresh refrigerated milk there. It was a specialty product.

    Liked by 1 person

    Reply

    1. Also, it is completely, unreasonably irritating that WP autoformats my carefully numbered bullet points 1, 2… into dumb-looking elementary lowercase abc format. That is *not* how I typed it, dammit.

      Like

      Reply

Leave a comment

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.