It's pretty safe to say that most people in Europe have been keeping an on the deadly E. Coli outbreak in Germany. Over the last few weeks there's been lots of worry about the cause, the source, the strain and the treatment. Based on this article in the NYT, <a href="http://www.nytimes.com/2011/06/11/world/europe/11ecoli.html?bl" target="_blank">the culprit seems to have been bean sprouts</a>. Although at different points, tomatoes, cucumbers and lettuce were suspected carriers.

Now tomatoes and cucumbers are off the hook.

Still there's a resurgence of worry about our food sources and our health. In another article about <a href="http://www.nytimes.com/2011/06/12/weekinreview/12organic.html?src=recg" target="_blank">the fallout of E. Coli outbreak</a> in the NYT journalist Elisabeth Rosenthal writes:
<blockquote>When we eat salad we rely on the sanitary vigilance of a long chain of  farmers, harvesters, baggers, shippers, and markets to maintain our  vegetables free of harmful germs. Every forkful is an extraordinary vote  of confidence in the food systems of the developed world that bring  greens to our plate.</blockquote>
Yep. She's got a good point. The problem of course is that I have very little control over my food before I buy it at the market. I wash it and eat it. I don't really even ever hope for the best. This is the food that I have access to and so I eat it.

Then on Friday, I read this article <a href="http://www.novinite.com/view_news.php?id=129158&amp;utm_source=twitterfeed&amp;utm_medium=twitter" target="_blank">Bulgaria's National Liquor Rakia Touted as Cure for Deadly E. Coli on Novinite.com</a> suggesting this:
<blockquote>New data released in Bulgaria strongly suggests that the locally produced alcoholic drink rakia may be an efficient cure for the outbreak of E. Coli, which involves a previously unknown strain of the bacterium.

"The traditional Bulgarian shopska salad can easily get you infected with intestinal bacteria, including the deadly new strain of E. Coli. But if you also drink rakia, the risk decreases," Bozhidar Popov, head of the local diet association, announced.</blockquote>
<em>Huna</em>. Rakiya to cure E. Coli.

Everything I know I about E. Coli, granted it's not much, suggests that this is utterly false.

Still, there you have it. The data says drink rakiya. As if you needed a reason to drink rakiya with the national salad, the skopska salad, now you have one. E. Coli prevention. Allegedly the rakiya kills the bacteria.

Sure this is probably data I should track down and take a closer look but that seems like a lot of work especially given the fact that I did the topic a quick once over on wikipedia. The claim may seem suspect considering the fact that many of the worst strains of E. Coli are becoming antibiotic resistant. But this why I am lead to believe that rakiya must actually be the wonder-child of alcohols <em>and</em> antibiotics.

I am so lucky to live in Bulgaria.

And so today, I'd like to conclude with a quick note to my parents. That's right MoM and dAd, drinking rakiya will not only make you better people but will also kill E. Coli. So in addition to  your morning walks, taking the preventative heart-attack aspirin, you should probably pull out the rakiya either the homemade stuff or the Burgas 63 I brought home at Christmas and wash your salad down with an aperitif of rakiya.

Oh and as a final footnote, readers, ever wonder why I call my parents MoM and dAd? <a href="http://www.karolinkabulgaria.com/2010/08/08/mom-dad/" target="_blank">Here's a post I wrote explaining it a year ago or so</a>.