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Backstory

I am a Noachide who started to experiment with a raw meat diet, after watching videos such as this:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=v-cuT7q1dZ4

It has certainly peaked my interest, and now I am strategizing how to approach this in line with my biblical obligations.

Reasoning

One of my first thoughts was about how HaShem treated the topic, and what was the historical context when it came to raw meat.

The only restriction I have put on myself thus far has been the prohibition on eating Carrion, a la:

Every moving thing that lives shall be yours to eat; like the green vegetation, I have given you everything. But, flesh with its soul, its blood, you shall not eat. -- Genesis 9:3-4

I figured this is probably age old wisdom that warned against Carrion for a myriad of reasons. This however says nothing about cooking the meat, and I'd like to know whether meat absolutely has to be cooked for Jew or Noachide? If nothing was specifically said, I would consider this an endorsement of eating raw meat, and that perhaps HaShem meant for this to be this way.

Furthermore, do we know if any significant religious figures considered of high moral character under the Auspices of HaShem, Jewish or Noachide, stretching from Genesis Chapter 9 to the Renaissance, that fundamentally consumed their meats raw?

Thanks.

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Anon
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The question of rare and raw meat has been asked on this site before. There is some discussion among the Rishonim based on the mishna Beitza 3:3 about whether raw meat can be consumed, but their point of argument revolves around whether the meat must be salted first to remove the blood.

So the opinion of the Rishonim seems to be that it may or may not be permitted for a Jew to eat completely raw meat, but salted raw meat should be permitted according to everyone. Since non-Jews are not forbidden from consuming blood, even not-salted raw meat should be permitted to them.

I am not aware of any major religious leaders who ate their meat raw and I suspect there are none, though it's hard to prove a negative.

Daniel
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  • Correct me if I am wrong, but wasn't meat cooked during sacrifice in the temple periods? If yes, I'd like to know why that was the case. Also, about the biblical figures, given that completely Raw Meat is not the norm today, I would actually like to know if it was normal back during the time period I mentioned. – Anon Nov 21 '19 at 11:35
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    @Akiva as far as I know, cooked meat has always been the norm. Cooking the meat was part of the sacrificial process. The Torah says that Abraham had the meat for the angels who visited his tent "prepared," which I always assumed that meant cooked. – Daniel Nov 21 '19 at 11:41
  • And what of Exodus Chapter 12 You shall not eat it rare or boiled in water, except roasted over the fire its head with its legs and with its innards. << This seems to state that in a regular state of affairs (Not on passover), that eating it rare (raw?) was seen as normal? Just thinking out loud. – Anon Nov 21 '19 at 12:14
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    @Akiva The word "נא" is better translated as "undercooked". See Rashi there. – Daniel Nov 21 '19 at 12:35
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    When Yom Kippur fell on Friday, the Korban meat was eaten raw on Friday night (as it couldn't be cooked). Definitely permitted. @Akiva – Double AA Nov 21 '19 at 12:36
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    Which Rishonim debate consumption of completely raw meat based on that Mishna? – Double AA Nov 21 '19 at 14:34
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    @DoubleAA Tosfos Yom Tov on Menachos 11:7 brings a machlokes between Tosfos and Rambam on the topic where Tosfos say that it's permitted even without melicha and Rambam says it's forbidden without melicha. – Daniel Nov 21 '19 at 18:20