Stuff Dutch people like #3: horse meat 24/01/2009
Posted by dlatman in Amsterdam, Dutch, europe, food, u.s..Tags: bitterballen, butcher, france, horse, meat, netherlands, slaughterhouse
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horsie
Eating horse meat is more acceptable in many parts of Europe than the US. In the States we tend to view horses as companions, akin to dogs and cats, while in Europe they are just another animal to consume, such as cows or pigs.
[Americans might be unaware that US-based horse slaughterhouses actually provide their meat to Europe and the rest of the world. According to the USDA, over 12,000 horses meant for consumption were exported during the first three-quarters of 2006.]
So, how do the Dutch enjoy their horse, or paardenvlees? Not as proudly as, say, the French, who boast at least a thousand horse butchers nationwide and serve horse steaks at restaurants.
The Netherlands prefers its horse ground up and surreptitiously mixed with other meats as in meatballs, and the typically-Dutch fast food bitterballen and frikandel. (Bitterballen are finely-minced meatballs with a creamy center and crispy deep-fried exterior, while frikandel are similar to a sausage or hot dog.)
So how does horse taste? I’m not the best judge, since the one time I (probably) ate it was in my first bitterbal, which was promptly spat out into the nearest napkin. But that was more likely due to the bitterbal itself, with its unexpectedly mushy consistency and tangy, sour flavor. Other reviewers seem to enjoy horse meat.
Eet smakelijk!
Photos: Horsie by me, Bitterballen by Kok Robin. Dank je vel!
All equine slaughterhouses in the US were closed in 2007.
More and more Americans are aware of “America’s Dirty Little Secret.” The U.S. slaughter houses are closed, but the same plants are shipping American horses over the borders to Mexico and Canada for slaughter.
Yes, we do know that the slaughter houses ship horse meat for human consumption overseas. And that is why a bill has been *reintroduced in Washington, DC this January, 2009 to ban horse slaughter: The Prevention of Equine Cruelty Act (H.R. 503).
The fact is, people in the United States do not eat horse meat. And in Europe, the majority do NOT eat horse meat because the meat is from a horse. There are also strong movements in Canada and Europe, as in the U.S., to ban horse slaughter. A horse is NOT livestock.
Horse slaughter is barbaric and brutal. And all for GREED.
In Europe horses are definitely NOT just another animal to consume, such as cows or pigs. Many, many people don’t want to eat horsemeat, that’s why the meat is in disguise. People don’t really know (for sure) they are in the bitterballs.
But it’s not a real taboo to eat horsemeat, like in England. The people who don’t want to eat it don’t object that other people do. Maybe because historically we only ate the old or lame horses, because it’s a shame to waste the meat. I only learned recently that the horsemeat nowadays comes from wild horses in America! I don’t think many people know this in the Netherlands.
Hi everyone, thanks for your comments and adding to the conversation. I don’t understand what the ethical problem is with eating horse as compared to cow, pig, chicken, etc. Why is it wrong to slaughter horses but ok to kill cows, especially in the factory farming conditions most cattle experience?
If you want to read an interesting/disturbing/beautiful art book about factory farming, check out “Dead Meat” by British artist Sue Coe.
WOW fascinating! Totally gross, and fascinating at the same time.
BTW, my Dutch grandfather would always say Eet smakelijk! before every meal. I love it