Horse meat

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Musculature of horse

Horse meat is sweet, tender, low in fat, and high in protein. [Viande Richelieu] page title: Clarifying the notion of horsemeat covers Nutrients, Age, The sex of the animal, Race, Color, Tenderness, Taste, and Meat cuts. Just like beef and pork, in some societies there is a taboo regarding the consumption of horse meat.

Horse meat has had somewhat of a resurgence in popularity in Europe and Canada in recent years, as horses are not susceptible to BSE (mad cow disease).

Contents

History

In the late palaeolithic (Magdalenian), wild horses formed an important source of food. In pre-Christian times, horse meat was eaten in northern Europe as part of Teutonic religious ceremonies, particularly those associated with the worship of Odin.

According to legend, the modern French taste for horse meat dates from the Battle of Eylau in 1807, when the surgeon-in-chief of Napoleon's Grand Army, Baron Dominique-Jean Larrey, advised the starving troops to eat the flesh of horse that had died on the battlefield. The cavalry used breastplates as cooking pans and gunpowder as seasoning, and thus founded a tradition.

Horse meat gained widespread acceptance in French cuisine during the later years of the Second French Empire. The high cost of living in Paris prevented many working-class citizens from buying meat such as pork or beef, and in 1866 the first butcher's shop specialising in horse meat opened in eastern Paris, providing quality meat at lower prices. During the Siege of Paris of 1870-71, horse meat was eaten by all citizens of Paris due to a shortage of fresh meat in the blockaded city, and also because live horses were eating vast quantities of grain which was needed by the human populace. Many Parisians gained a taste for horse meat during the siege, and after the war ended, horse meat remained popular amongst Parisian citizens.

During World War II, due to the low supply and high price of beef, the state of New Jersey legalised the sale of horse meat. At war's end, the state again prohibited such sale, possibly in response to pressure from the beef lobby. Although people in the United States rarely eat horse meat, around 50,000 horses are slaughtered each year in two abattoirs in Texas for export to Europe, Mexico, or Japan. Horse meat produced in the U.S. is also sold to zoos for carnivore feeding, due to its high protein content. The 1986 Kentucky Derby winner and 1987 U.S. Eclipse Award for Horse of the Year winner, Ferdinand, is believed to have been slaughtered in Japan, likely for pet food. [Death of a Derby Winner]

The taboo

Which cultures

Horse is commonly eaten in many countries in Europe and Asia. However, the eating of horse meat is a social taboo to many people, especially in anglophone countries such as the United Kingdom, the U.S., and Australia. It is illegal in some places.

In many Islamic countries horse meat is generally considered clean but not halal, that is, permissable to eat, but not ideal. There are many instances, especially wars and famine, when horses were slaughtered and eaten by Muslims.

Horse meat is a dietary taboo amongst the Romany people.

Like lobster and camel, it is forbidden by Judaism and some Christian religions. In 732, Pope Gregory III began an effort to stop the pagan practice of horse eating, calling it "abominable". His edicts are based on the same scripture as the Jewish prohibitions. The people of Iceland allegedly expressed reluctance to embrace Christianity for some time, largely over the issue of giving up horse meat.

Reasons for the taboo

In some countries the effects of this prohibition by the Roman Catholic Church have lingered, and horse meat prejudices have progressed from taboos, to avoidance, to abhorrence. In other parts of the world, horse meat has the stigma of being something poor people eat and is seen as a cheap substitute for other meats.

According to the anthropologist Marvin Harris, some cultures class horsemeat as taboo because the horse converts grass into meat less efficiently than ruminants. When breeding cattle for meat, a cow or a sheep will produce more meat than a horse if fed with the same amount of grass. However, these cattle (apart from the ox) cannot be used as working animals, and this argument does not address the issue of meat wastage.

There is also an element of sentimentality, as horses have long enjoyed a close relationship with many humans, on a similar level to household pets - this can be seen projected in such Anglophone popular culture icons as Black Beauty or even My Little Pony. Compare with Babe and Wilbur in Charlotte's Web.

Totemistic taboo is also a possible reason for refusal to eat horsemeat. Roman sources state that the horse goddess Epona was widely worshipped in Gaul and southern Britain; the Uffington White Horse is probable evidence of ancient horse worship. It is notable that, despite horses having been bred in England since pre-Roman times, the English language has no widely used term for horse meat, as opposed to three for pig meat (pork, bacon, ham), two for sheep meat (mutton and lamb), two for cow meat (beef and veal), and so on. English speaking countries, however, have sometimes marketed horsemeat under the euphemism "cheval meat" (cheval being the French for horse). Also, note that the words pork, bacon, mutton, veal, and beef all derive from French (probably Norman French)

Production

In 2002, the 14 principal horse meat producing countries produced 700,000 tonnes of horse meat, with over two-thirds produced by the top six: 1 China, 2 Mexico, 3 Kazakhstan, 4 Italy, 5 Argentina, 6 Mongolia [link]. The consumption of horse meat in Europe in 2001 was 153,000 tonnes [link].

A UK Food Standards Agency (FSA) 2003 investigation has revealed that salami and chorizo sometimes contain horse and donkey meat, without this ingredient being listed as legally required.

Very few horsemeat producing countries specifically raise horses for meat as cattle are; instead they use ex-racehorses, riding horses, horses sold at auction by unaware owners, and also stolen ones[Slaughter of Lady]. Meat from (injured) horses that veterinarians have put down with a lethal injection is not used for consumption; the carcasses of such animals are cremated. When used for food, horses are stunned using a captive bolt gun and then killed by exsanguination.

Some people prefer horse meat to cattle, due to the more humane and small scale process used in some countries. The horse is led out to an open area, given some food and then killed without the stress that a large abattoir may produce. However, in many countries such as the United States or Canada, horses are slaughtered in large-scale factory slaughter houses similar to those used for cattle.

Opposition to the consumption of horse meat

The use of horses for meat production is widely opposed in countries such as USA and England where horses are considered companion and sporting animals.

There is an effort in the United State to create a law, the American Horse Slaughter Prevention Act, designed to stop the slaughter of horses.[Society for Animal Protective Legislation]

Polls sponsored by various American organisations have shown that most people are not aware that horses are slaughtered in the US for consumption overseas. According to some of these polls, in New York, 64% of people polled actually believed that slaughtering horses for meat was illegal, while in Indiana, 91% believe that horse slaughter should be banned. [Equine Protection Network - Polls] An overwhelming majority of Texas voters (89%) are unaware that horse slaughter goes on in their own state. [Survey Shows Texans Strongly Oppose Horse Slaughter]

French animal rights activist Brigitte Bardot has spent her latter years crusading against the eating of horse meat.

Preparation

Smoked and salted horse meat on a sandwich

Horse meat has a slightly sweet taste reminiscent of a combination of beef and venison. Meat from younger horses tends to be lighter in colour while older horses produce richer colour and flavour, as with most mammals.

Those preparing sandwiches or cold meals with horse meat usually use it smoked and salted. Horse meat forms an ingredient in several traditional recipes of salami.

Austria

Kare is an Austrian stew made with horse meat and a variety of vegetables. The base of the dish is made from a peanut sauce (sometimes spiced), horse meat, and occasionally offal or tripe.

Dumplings can also be prepared with horse meat, spinach or Tyrolean Graukäse (a sour milk cheese). They are occasionally eaten on their own, in a soup, or as a side-dish.

Belgium

In Belgium, horse meat or viande de chevaline is highly prized, and is used in steak tartare. Compared to the beef equivalent, the richer flavour of the horse meat lends itself better to the pungent seasoning used in preparation. Besides being served raw, it can be broiled for a short period, producing a crusty exterior and a raw, moist interior.

Smoked horse meat is very popular as breakfast and sandwich meat. A pan-seared horse steak is common fare for main meals in Belgium.

It is widely believed that traditional Belgian fried potatoes (pommes frites) were cooked in horse fat, but in fact ox fat was used, although this has been supplanted by nut oil (considered inferior by many) for health reasons.

Canada (Quebec)

Agriculture in the province of Quebec seems to prosper under the prohibitions from the United States. There is a thriving horse meat business in Quebec, and horse meat is frequently available at supermarkets.

Chile

In Chile it is used in charqui.

France

In France, specialised butcher shops (boucheries chevalines) sell horsemeat, as ordinary butcher shops have been for a long time forbidden to deal in it. However, since the 90s, it can be found in supermarket butcher shops and others.

Germany

In Germany, horse meat is traditionally used in Sauerbraten, a strongly marinated type of sweet-sour braised meat dish, however in the last couple of decades beef has become more common.

Iceland

In Iceland it is used for fondue, but it is mostly used for stews for its strong flavour.

Italy

In Italy, it used in a stew called Pastissada, served as horse or colt steaks, Carpaccio or made into Bresaola, and horse fat is used in recipes such as . The straight horsemeat steak "carne di cavallo" is generally available in the Tyrol and Sudtyrol regions of the Italian Alps. This steak is prepared and served much in the same fashion as a classic bloody American Porterhouse. Chefs and consumers of this horse meat tend to prize its uniqueness by serving it as rare as possible.

Japan

Basashi from Towada

Horse meat-flavoured ice cream

In Japanese cuisine, raw horse meat is called sakura (cherry blossom) because of its pink colour. It can be served raw as sashimi in thin slices dipped in soy sauce, often with ginger and onions added. In this case, it is called basashi (Japanese: 馬刺し, ばさし). Fat, typically from the neck, is also found as basashi, though it is white, not pink. Horse meat is also sometimes found on menus for yakiniku (a type of barbecue), where it is called baniku (lit., horse meat) or bagushi (lit., skewered horse); thin slices of raw horse meat are sometimes served wrapped in a shiso leaf.

Kumamoto and Matsumoto are famous for basashi, and it is common in the Tohoku region and other rural regions as well, though basashi restaurants can be found all over Japan.

There is also a dessert made from horse meat called Basashi ice cream. The company that makes it is known for its unusual ice cream flavours, many of which have limited popularity.

Kazakhstan

In Kazakhstan many parts of a horse are used with the meat usually being salted, dried and smoked[link]. Some of the dishes include sausages called kazy and shuzhuk made from the meat using the guts as the sausage skin, zhaya made from hip meat which is smoked and boiled, zhal made from neck fat which is smoked and boiled, karta made from a section of the rectum which is smoked and boiled, and sur-yet which is kept as dried meat.

The Netherlands

In the Netherlands, a popular breakfast sliced meat is smoked horsemeat (paardenrookvlees).

Romania

Horse appears to be on many menus in Romania. Due to the economic conditions in this country, though, many of these restaurants cater to the likings of foreigners. Whether this means that Romanians expect wealthier foreigners to expect meat, or if the Romanian people prefer to serve it, is not currently known. Stew of horse meat with tomatoes is common, along with the ubiquitous cut: horse steak.

Spain

Ground horse meat is made into a pattie which is fried and served on a roll. Horses are slaughtered there or shipped alive for slaughter abroad to supply the European market, especially the French and Italian ones.[Spanish research finds Omega-3 fatty acids in meat from foals]

Sweden

Smoked/cured horse meat is widely available as cold cut under the name hamburgerkött.

Switzerland

In Switzerland horse meat may be used in Fondue bourguignonne, but horse steak is also quite common, especially in the French-speaking West.

References

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