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In 2002, the 14 principal horse meat producing countries, led by China, produced 700,000 tonnes of horse meat . 153,000 tonnes of horse meat was consumed in Europe in 2001 . A popular myth is that horse meat is relatively tough and sinewy. In reality it is tender (although generally less so than beef), low in fat and high in protein; something that has led to its popularity amongst body builders. In simple terms you could consider a horse to be a fast running cow.

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 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 dead battlefield horses. The cavalry used breastplates as cooking pans and gunpowder as seasoning, and thus founded a tradition.

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 (some say in response to pressure from the beef lobby). Although people in the United States of America rarely eat horse meat, around 50,000 horses are slaughtered each year in two abbatoirs in Texas for export to Europe, Mexico or Japan. Horse meat produced in the US is sold to zoos for carnivore feeding, due to its high protein content. 1986 Kentucky Derby winner and 1987 horse of the year, Ferdinand, is believed to have been slaughtered in Japan .

A Food Standards Agency (FSA) 2003 investigation has revealed that salami and chorizo on sale in the UK sometimes contain horse and donkey meat, without being mentioned on the food label—despite being legally required to do so.

Meat from (injured) horses that vets have put down with a lethal injection is not used for consumption: the carcasses of such animals are cremated. However just like milking cows that are no longer useful, horses are slaughtered when they can no longer work.

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).

The taboo

Horse is commonly eaten in many countries in Europe and Asia. Horse may not be eaten by observant Jews, since under Mosaic Law, horse meat is forbidden because the horse is not cloven-hoofed or cud-chewing. However, in many Islamic countries horse meat is generally considered halal.

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

In some countries the effects of this prohibition by the 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 other beasts, since horses do not function as ruminants. When breeding cattle for meat, a cow or a sheep will produce more meat if fed with the same amount of grass. However (apart from the ox) those can not be used as working animals and it doesn't explain why you should let good meat go to waste. Brigitte Bardot has spent her latter years crusading against the eating of horse meat.

Since gypsies do not eat horse meat, there are occasional accusations of restaurants publicly posting signs saying they serve horse meat in order to discourage gypsies from eating there.

Preparation

Horse meat has a slightly sweet taste reminiscent of a combination of beef and venison that some find unappealing. Meat from younger horses tends to be lighter in colour while older horses produce richer colour and flavour.

Today many European countries including France, Italy, Romania, the Netherlands, Spain, Portugal, Switzerland and Belgium consume horse meat in notable volumes. In France, specialised butcher shops (boucheries chevalines) sell horsemeat, as ordinary butcher shops do not have the right to deal in it.

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, and in Kazakhstan it is used in hazy (horse sausage). In Switzerland horse meat may be used in Fondue bourguignonne. It is widely believed that traditional Belgian fries (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.

In Italy horse fat is used in recipes such as Pezzetti di Cavallo. In Chile it is used in charqui. In Iceland it is used for fondue, but it is mostly used for stews for its strong flavor. 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. In Holland a popular breakfast sliced meat is smoked horsemeat (paardenrookvlees).

Japan

In Japanese cuisine raw horse meat is called sakura (cherry blossom) from its pink color. It can be served raw as sashimi - where it is called basashi (Japanese: 馬刺し, ばさし) - in thin slices dipped in soy sauce, often with ginger and onions added. It is also commonly found on menus for yakiniku (a type of barbeque), as baniku, and thin slices of meat are sometimes served wrapped in a shiso leaf.

Kumamoto and Matsumoto are famous for basashi, and it is common in the Tohoku region, although basashi restaurants can be found all over Japan.

There is also a dessert made from horse meat called Basashi ice cream.

See also

• Taboo food and drink
• Horse latitudes
• Japanese cuisine

• Meat
• Japanese cuisine
• Horses