Even for eaters that aren't particularly attuned to animal-friendly practices, veal is often a touchy subject. Usually there are a few reasons. Perhaps people are uncomfortable eating baby cow (maybe if lamb was called "baby sheep" people would feel similarly about that too?). Or, they learned a bit about how these cows are raised -- often in crates that prevent the calves from moving much.
Although veal gets a bad rap, many people still love the meat, popularized in French and Italian-American dishes like blanquette de veau or veal parmigiana. So how do you reconcile the poor treatment of calves with the deliciousness of their meat?
CNN recently visited Stony Pond Farm in Vermont that decided to pasture-raise calves rather than put them in crates. The calves are fed a diet mainly consisting of whole milk, plus some organic grains. When slaughtered, the meat takes on a much redder hue than industrial veal.
Chef John Delpha, owner of the Belted Cow Bistro, uses the veal on his menu and calls the meat "spectacular."
So is this practice catching on? Are we in the midst of a veal renaissance? "I hope so," says Stony Pond’s Tyler Webb in the video below. Watch it and head to CNN to learn more about the deal with veal.
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