Sometimes at work they offered us lunch with horse meat (something like a stew) and none of us even tried it (we aren't Maltese btw).
While speaking during the lunch time, all of them said that horse meat is taboo in their countries (frowned upon, not appealing), but now that I see Maltese restaurants, it's not as common as rabbit. Do you eat horse? Do you feel uncomfortable if somebody offers you some?
LOL,
It's a traditional meat in Malta along with rabbit and quail.
And now apparently cat and dog meat in sausages
People have been saying that was fake af.
I investigated this and apparently its almost 11 tears old and it was just accusations nothing factual about it
Im not sure nor do i really care tbh it was just a joke 😂😂 i wouldnt willingly do it but at the end of it all its just meat… i loved my cat and my dog but why is it that we draw the line to them ? Pigs can be just as loyal as cats and dogs and yet we eat them like its nothing..horses are just as affectionate and yet a maltese delicacy
No clue. Though ethically I'm against meat and can't wait till we have reasonable access to fake meat that's like at least 95% of the way there to tasting like it and neutritionaly being similar enough.
But i think it's a cultural thing. I mean in place in asia it's not uncommon to eat shark, cat, dog, insects, bats and more. So it's kinda like... Cats and dogs are friends not food but people don't seem to think of rabbits pigs chickens and horses to be companion animals so it's less disturbing to eat them.
Personally i just don't like how horse tastes, i try to not have beef too often but fuck chickens. Lil evil dinosaur hell spawn lmao. I'll eat them with no remorse for the time being.
I don't quite understand why it's so frowned upon in other countries tbh. Me personally I like it but I only had it like twice in my life because it is very salty.
I think there are still lots of countries that also eat horse meat - both traditionally and in modern cuisine. In and outside of Europe including famously Belgium, Kazakhstan, Japan and many places in between. Whilst travelling through central europe it was just as common to be offered horse meat as beef or mutton.
Horse is available in supermarkets in France and Filet De Cheval à Cheval (horse steak with wine) is quite famous as is pezzetti di cavallo in Italy (basically stewed horse pieces with similarities to the Maltese Laham taz-Ziemel)
I’m definitely no expert nor would I say it’s my favourite thing to eat - but I think Malta isn’t alone in having a tradition of eating horse.
I think it’s "shunning" is mostly driven by America, who have a thing about eating horse. The Horse lobby is strong and horse meat is banned in many States.
Americans frown upon anything they don’t understand. Nothing new there.
Like eating eels according to Koreans.
And according to cockneys
Eel is absolutely amazing. I love Unagi (cooked eel Sushi) and pan fried eel steaks, but maybe it's good that eel isn't a widely adopted food source because especially fresh water eels are becoming threatened.
Well, one persons pet… etc.
I personally don’t think any meat is wrong with humans as the only exception. Don’t let the animal suffer needlessly, and do your thing.
I'm relieved that the Dutch don't eat police officers.
They ate a politician once
What? he he
Idk if its a legend but apparently in the oast the dutch ate a prime minister or something
I read that as well. It was a FB meme though and haven't fact checked it
Police horses and dogs are officers in any country.
Even in Malta
False. There are restaurants that have horsemeat on the menu. Amsterdam even has a famous restaurant that offers it.
You can buy it from supermarket too. Example: https://www.ah.nl/producten/product/wi537044/coertjens-stoofvlees
Do you frown upon eating dog or cats?
It's damn delicious but don't eat it too often due to blood pressure. It's sometimes adviced by doctors to eat it when your pressure is too low. Reminds me, haven't had it in a while.
Interesting, How/why does it raise your BP?
It increases blood pressure as it is a very dark red meat. Don't know how to explain it properly, but even deer meat does the same thing
It doesn't. That's an old wives' tale.
Rich in Iron sometimes recommended to women low in Iron.
Very salty
I don’t think horse meat is inherently salty but many Maltese cooks add huge amounts of salt when cooking, so that may explain why it is salty. Many chefs catering for tourists have learned through experience to reduce the amount of salt they add to dishes.
The meat is not salty. However if the stew is well seasoned early on then simmered for hours it might end up being too salty
You’ll find horse meat in a lot of traditional Maltese restaurants. In mgarr it’s quite common to see a trio of meats which include quail and horse (forgot the 3rd, maybe rabbit) on menus. Charlie’s inn in salina also does a divine horse meat stew.
I’m of the idea that if you eat meat, no animal is off limits. Mela a pig or a cow is fine but somehow rabbit or horse is where we draw the line?
In Mgarr it’s:
Snails, Bread, Spaghetti, Quail, Rabbit, Horse, Pastries, Coffee, Helwa tat-Tork, Peanuts, Bill, no Receipt.
In that order..
Finland makes horse sausage
Edit. Remember. It’s the national dish so be happy someone offers you. While if is the restaurant.. they know it’s expensive
Very common. A dish available in some restaurants and it’s often for sale at the supermarket, like horse bresaola.
Yes it’s normal and quite good. I had a great horse burger
It’s not an everyday meat you encounter, but it’s nice enough, especially in a stew. In Malta it’s usually found in places which focus on rabbit meat (places for fenkata).
I mean other places in Europe eat horse meat, eg France and Belgium.
Yes horse meat is normal it's very yummy.
Horse/rabbit/quail/snails are all Maltese Dishes. Nothing new. Chukkas makes great horse Meat dishes as do some restaurants in mgarr.
I’ve even had kangaroo meat and the weirdest thing I had was alligator meat from New Orleans. Every place has their delicacies. Its ok to not try it just don’t judge people who do.
Yeah, it's quite common and it's extremely delicious. I never understood the taboo from some countries they have no problem eating lamb, chicken, pork, beef, deer, octopus etc but they draw a line with rabbit and horse lol.
In the US horses are considered the same as cats and dogs. They are pets and people here have strong emotional bonds to them.
The western US has a legacy of the cowboy and his horse that also plays a part, as the horse is a trusted partner. If that makes sense.
Point is, a lot of places have culture that puts significant emotional attachment to certain animals, like horses, so eating them becomes taboo.
FWIW I've had horse a few times while in Europe (France and the French side of Switzerland) and agree, it's delicious. Never realized they served it in Malta, I'd definitely had tried it if I knew.
You should try it if you're back in Malta, typical Maltese traditional meal would start with snails, local cheese and bigilla (bean dip), followed by rabbit stew usually as a sauce on spaghetti and horse meat or fried rabbit. Usually washed down with a cold lager or local wine.
France eats horse meat , Wallonia too, and Ireland has one abattoir where horse meat is processed mainly for export to France . Retired Irish racing horses in fact often end up on a French plate courtesy of this one Irish abattoir. But nowhere is horse meat very popular . It is amongst the worst types of red meat, and can really be eaten only once every few weeks because it leads high blood pressure. I’ve eaten it twice and it’s quite good but only as stew. I don’t think it’s as good prepared as a steak for example. I have eaten it in malta but I avoid it because I never trust the source. I am not comfortable with eating horsemeat from retired racing horses that have been culled at the end of their lives, or that may have been pumped with medicines or steroids. Maltese racing horses (known as trotters , used in races with little one man sulkies or chariots) are usually imported from France where they will have reached the end of their “careers” or have not proven so successful there.
Fun story: remember the Belgian fries foodtruck in Malta? They would also sell “frikandel” (Dutch sausage). I convinced a girl to try it (and assumed it would be a mix of pork/beef). Turns out it was horse, which was her “spirit animal”. She never talked to me again :(
you're full of horse shit and you know it with this one. The meat from the food truck is imported from legit Belgian and Dutch companies. No horse meat in there. "The girl" should get her taste buds checked, and her drama queen level too...
I asked the foodtruck after we ate it to confirm it was a mix of pork/chicken/beef. They checked the packaging, and you are right they import it from Belgium and the Netherlands. And the frikandellen were horse meat & pork.
Frikandellen are actually famous for often containing horse meat.
Mhm! Theres a specific way of serving it u can find online. Its not something you eat daily though as it raises blood pressure
Our Sicilian neighbours also use donkey meat https://lovinmalta.com/food/after-horse-butty-in-st-pauls-its-time-for-ass-burgers-in-san-gwann/
Not so popular as in Sicily
Just in case we also eat snails here like the French do. What we don’t eat here are frog legs, which they do in France.
My daughter always orders horse meat at Maltese restaurants. We've had it in other countries. Also donkey in Italy.
I ate horse sausage about 30 years ago in Hungary, then horse meat in Sicily last year.
Donkey even better in taste, also not so common and mostly cooked at home not restaurants
Yes it is......traditionally stewed
It’s common in Italy as well, so yeah, likely
It's common in "traditional" Imġarr-style restaurants but not particularly common anywhere else, and somewhat rare in home cooking.
Why would you assume it's not?
Yes it's traditional..
In Italy we have it often. Cured meat, called bresaola, is excellent
I have no problem having it
you also find it in the netherlands, it's pretty good
Horse meat with french fries and maltese bread just out of the oven....damn good 😜
We normally don't eat it on a day-to-day basis, but if we're at what we call a 'fenkata' (which is practically stuffing as much food in your body as humanly, or inhumanly possible), then we would order horse stew. If it's cooked well then it will be tender and taste somewhat like beef. I mean, if someone offered some I'd take it (but at the same time I eat anything that's food).
Had it a couple of times. Didn't really like it much.
Horse meat is a traditional dish in Malta, along with rabbits and quail those it is not as popular. If you are going to consume horse meat, please ensure that the horse is bred for food purposes. Otherwise, the meat may be tough and unpalatable.
curious, where are you and the other workers from? as most countries eat horse
Latin America / Southeast Asia
It is super common, especially in farm restaurants. My favourite is a mix stew of rabbit and horse meat together. Meat is meat my opinion is to try and judge the taste not the animal :) .
I love it
I am Maltese and I have never eaten horse meat. Nor has anyone I know well or a relative.
I do not understand why some of the comments are trying to make it sound like it is easy to buy horsemeat or find it in a restaurant.
I have never seen horsemeat for sale and the only time that I saw it offered on a menu was in a village eatery where people drank wine mixed with lemonade.
It has a very pungent smell that clings to your clothes and makes you want to shower the moment you get home.
Horses are expensive animals so they are not reared for their meat. Most probably the horse meat that ends up on some dinner tables originates from the corpses of race horses or other service animals that died or had to be put down. There are strict regulations in the EU regarding the medicines that can be used on animals destined for human consumption, but these regulations are hard to enforce or control when it comes to horse flesh. So horse meat may contain dangerous chemicals.
It is pertinent to point out that in many Western countries such as the USA, eating horse meat is our equivalent of eating dog meat.
Has never eaten horse meat, says he knows what it smells like and how the smell sticks to your clothes. U mur lemm buffu
Eating horse meat is like eating dogs, prove me wrong
Edit: It's because we view horses as pets, just like dogs.
Eating any mammal is like eating dogs, no?
Eating dogs is like eating cows. Prove me wrong
Saying this as an Italian is literally one of the weirdest things i’ve seen an Italibro say. Every restaurant in Italy serves horse meat, much more common in Italy than in Malta…
Christ, don't go to Sicily then, its on every street corner BBQ.
I can't eat it as it gives me the trots