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Cultural 'big deal': Seal oil makes menu at Alaska care home
Read full article: Cultural 'big deal': Seal oil makes menu at Alaska care homeIn January 2021, the Alaska Department of Environmental Conservation approved seal oil to be served at a Maniilaq elder care home, believed to be a first for seal oil in the U.S. (Maniilaq Association via AP)ANCHORAGE, Alaska – Seal oil has been a staple in the diet of Alaska’s Inupiat for generations. 1 crucial food that everybody wanted was seal oil, but we weren’t able to give them that,” he said. Discussions were initiated to determine the safety risk of seal oil and possible ways to control it. “You know, we could boil it, but that’s going to change the whole characterization, the whole nutritional value of seal oil," Dankmeyer said. Researchers discovered that heating seal oil at 176 degrees Fahrenheit (80 degrees Celsius) for 2½ minutes destroys the toxins.