Is it time to put horse meat on the menu?

Since we have had the horse meat scandal in the UK, I thought it might be time to constructivly discuss the possibilities of having horse meat on our menu's. I realise in some countries like France that this is already the case so why are we so squeemish about it in the UK and other nations? On paper horse meat is far better for us than beef and pork, it contains higher levels of vitamins and minerals and lower levels of fat and cholesterol. See this report done in Korea

www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov...

Not only does changing to horse meat improve our diet, it will also be benaficial to the enviroment. Our over reliance on the big 4 (chicken, beef, pork and lamb) means that our farm land is geared towards rearing these animals, which means large areas of grass land to be grazed.

On top of all of this, horse meat is said to have a very rich flavour, so your pallate can be treated too. In all honestly I haven't ever tried horse meat (knowingly anyway) but that is more down to its lack of availability in the UK and I can honestly say that I would have no problem trying it.

Would you try it, if it was made available to you?

A month ago I might have considered trying almost any type of meat. I was a huge fan of meat.
I was, no mas.

Sure would, why not.
I'm sure it is'nt the first time in recent history horse has been eaten.
It's wrong to use it without telling people, in burgers and sausage etc.
Down here Kangaroo has been on the supermarket shelf for a long time and is popular.
You can even buy Emu and Croc if you go to the right butcher.
yummo

I had it a couple of times when I was a kid, not knowing what it was at the time. The meat is marbled and darker than beef. It is really rich, think of a rare very dark beef steak. It has been likened to hare. I would have no problem with eating horse if it was grown for food, but most horse meat you would find on the market would be ex-thoroughbreds which have been pumped with all sorts of steroids, hormones, stimulants, growth enhancers, etc. I wouldnt touch that meat.

edit: Oh yeah, kangaroo, it is very much like kangaroo only marbled and tender.

reply to post by LeLeu


I hear Kangaroo meat is quite tasty and you can get it in the UK if your prepared to go to a speciality supplier and pay the premium to get it imported. I really would try most things if I am honest, eating insects might be a little too far for me but I think I could probably force myself to try. If one thing is for sure, with the growing population on the planet and the price of food on the rise, we better get used to the idea of eating previously inconsidered foods.

I hear that insects carry the highest protien levels per pound of all foods?

Is it time to put horse meat on the menu? No.
Would you try it, if it was made available to you? No.

There are some things that I refuse to eat. That includes tongues, brains, testicles and anything made directly from blood. As for the study from Korea, those people will eat cats, dogs, rats, bats, basically anything that moves.

No, I would not eat a horse just as I would not consider eating a canary or a hamster. "Oh, but might like it if you didn't know what it was". That could be true. I might like a steak made from Uncle Herman if I didn't know what it was. But I would not knowingly eat Uncle Herman and I will not knowingly eat a horse.

reply to post by N3k9Ni


I expected that some people would not wish to eat it, but could you expand on your reasons why. So far you have just said that you would not eat it, without supplying a reason. Is it because of the human connection? that we as humans have had historically a close relationship? Also do you see the logic in the fact that we will need to start exploring other foods if we are to continue on this population expansion of man kind?

I've eaten crocodile tail, ostrich and had a chocolate covered ant the other day, so I would eat most things. I guess the difference is my emotional relationship to the animal. I love horses and would never eat one. Animals like sheep chicken and cows have been bread for eating so I see them as a food source. There is no really reason for it.

So no to horses, yes to snails and frogs legs.

reply to post by michael1983l


I did supply a reason. I said there are things that I refuse to eat and horses is one of them. You asked if I would eat horse meat if it were made available. The answer is no. Just as I would refuse to eat a dog, cat, rat or bat. There is no logical reason to consider eating a horse other than imminent starvation.

To sum up: You asked, I said no.

reply to post by N3k9Ni


I wouldn't say that saying no to a direct question is supplying a reason. You have answered my question, that is fine but a discussion is pretty dull if we just give one word answers to questions don't you think.

I don't think a discussion is necessary. You asked if I would eat it, the answer is no. I also will not eat deer, rabbits, raccoons, possums, squirrels, crickets, centipedes, gophers...well, there's a whole list of things and horses is one of them.

reply to post by N3k9Ni


Ok, thank you for your insightful contribution anyway.

Although I have eaten a decent amount of exotic meat, I eat mostly as if I were vegetarian.

Factory farming is a terrible plague of mankind and there is no reason why we have to continue down that path. If one is going to eat meat, they should acquire it through the best sources possible, like a local farm where animals are treated well, fed well and not given regular doses of synthetic antibiotics.

That being said, there are other reasons why one should consider not eating certain sentient creatures... namely because they are so intelligent. I have spent a lot of time around horses, they are highly intelligent and should only be slaughtered for meat in the most serious of situations, i.e.; food shortages in which people would face starvation if they didn't eat a horse.

Mr., please don't eat my pony.

reply to post by michael1983l


I have had it and enjoyed it, so for me the answer would be yes. I understand people's objections to eating it though, particularly those that own horses. I, for one, could not eat dogs or cats (unless properly starving, when any morals would go right out of the window) because i have had them as pets.

My general rule though is if it has meat, it is probably edible. I would try pretty much any type of meat so perhaps i am not the best person to be answering this!

reply to post by OrganicAnagram33


The Mongols, the most adept and accomplished horsemen the world has ever seen, were not above cutting their horses and drinking their blood when necessary. Not exactly relevant but thought i would throw it out there.......

reply to post by Flavian


If you have ever watched Bear Grylls, I have seen him do this with a Buffalo in Siberia, straight out of the jugular. The local tribes people have a very close relationship with these animals but they also use them as their staple.

This had me in tears!!

Why not?

Obama has made meals out of man's best friend, the dog, and he seems to be a hero to so many. What could possibly be wrong with eating a horse?

I honestly might try it here, my absolute favorite meat has got to be
stingray, when prepared properly nothing really comes close IMO.

Honestly i do not see why people have such an aversion to the idea,
so far i have seen no good reason for it to not be available to those
who wish it, only personal distaste for the idea.

Horses have been loyal to us for hundreds of years. I don't think we should start eating them just because we now have machines for transportation and for plowing the fields.

That's really the only problem I have with it. I'm not a huge animal lover, but I do feel that horses deserve our respect.

Edit to add: Though if my family and I were starving, I wouldn't hesitate to make some mean horse meatloaf.