The 10th Anniversary of the World's First Lab-Grown Steak

Amidst all the fanfare about the first in vitro hamburger, it's easy to forget that this is not the first time that enterprising scientists have grown and eaten cultured meat. Way back in 2003, artists Oron Catts and Ionat Zurr of the Tissue Culture & Art Project spent three months growing a "semi-living" steak made from frog cells. The tiny steak was marinated in calvados and fried with garlic and honey, then served to some (un)lucky diners. The verdict on the taste and texture? "Jellied fabric". Part of the sad state of the steak was that, unlike the recent lab-grown burger, the frog patty hadn't been exercised over the course of its short semi-life.

Though a disembodied frog steak might seem strange, the story gets even stranger. According to the artists, "Soon after the installation, we were approached by an animal welfare organization with a request to grow semi-living human steaks—specifically, the group’s director asked for a feast based on a steak grown from her own flesh." Perhaps history's very first request for auto-cannibalistic in vitro meat. Maybe not its last.

If you're interested in cannibal cuisine, you'll want to check out our newest project, the In Vitro Meat Cookbook. Contribute to our crowdfunding campaign today!