Can you eat pastirma while pregnant?
Check firstOnly if you cook it first. Pastirma is air-dried rather than heated, so it can carry toxoplasmosis parasites and Listeria until it is cooked until steaming hot all the way through.
Why
Pastirma is beef that has been salted, pressed, coated in cemen paste and air-dried, never cooked. The NHS warns that cured and fermented meats of this kind may still hold toxoplasmosis parasites, and the CDC flags ready-to-eat deli and cured meats as a Listeria risk because the bacteria survive refrigeration and curing. Listeria infection in pregnancy can lead to miscarriage, stillbirth or serious illness in a newborn. Heating pastirma until it is steaming hot, for example crisped in a pan or baked into eggs or a pide, kills both and makes it fine to eat.
Safer alternatives
- pastirma crisped in a hot pan until the edges curl, then added to scrambled eggs
- pastirma baked onto a pide or lahmacun straight from the oven
- freshly grilled beef kofte
- hot doner carved and served steaming
- roast beef sliced from a joint cooked to 145F and rested
Sources
- NHS https://www.nhs.uk/pregnancy/keeping-well/foods-to-avoid/
- CDC https://www.cdc.gov/food-safety/foods/pregnant-women.html
Every verdict follows our sourcing methodology: official health guidelines only, most cautious position when they differ.
Last reviewed by the pregAI editorial team.
Frequently asked questions
Does freezing pastirma make it safe to eat raw?
Freezing for a few days does reduce the toxoplasmosis risk, which is why the NHS mentions it for cured meats. It does not reliably kill Listeria, so cold pastirma from the freezer is still not a safe bet. Heating until steaming hot is the one step that handles both risks.
I ate a few slices of raw pastirma before I knew, what now?
Most people are completely fine, as infection from one serving is uncommon. Keep an eye out for fever, chills, muscle aches, headache or stomach upset over the next few weeks, since Listeria can take that long to show up. Call your midwife or doctor if any of those appear and mention the cured meat.
Is pastirma cooked into eggs or pide safe?
Yes, as long as it has been heated right through until steaming. Pan-fried pastirma and eggs or pastirma baked on a pide both reach temperatures that kill Listeria and toxoplasmosis. Just avoid versions where the slices are laid on cold or added as a garnish after cooking.
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