Minecraft resource gathering/Meat

Acquiring meat
To get meat, craft a weapon and kill an animal. The recommended weapon to craft is a sword, but you can also use a bow and arrow if you would like to practice archery. Theoretically you can punch using any tool, item, or even with your bare hand, however a sword is recommended because it deals more damage, meaning you need less hits to kill the animal.

Cooking meat
To cook meat, put it an a furnace or a smoker (for half the exp. points and half the time) with fuel, like coal or charcoal. Cooked meat restores a lot more hunger than raw meat, making it the preferred choice for consumption at a base or settlement, or when preparing for a journey.

It is still possible to eat raw meat in Minecraft for a slight hunger reduction, and this is common when players are on the go and need to eat something immediately (Presuming they are out of superior provisions). This is also fairly common in the early game, when players may not have furnace access. Players are not penalized for eating meat raw, unless that meat is raw chicken, then they will get food poisoning.

Real life inspiration
In real life, any undercooked or raw meat has an increased chance of carrying a food-borne illness. However raw chicken commonly carries the disease Salmonella, and so cooking chicken thoroughly to kill the disease is especially important, which is reflected in Minecraft.