and what's wrong with a little horsemeat anyway?

[kennyc]

But 30%?? Hmmm.

Probably still better than Pink Slime.

Food Standards officials in Northern Ireland are now involved in a widening investigation into traces of horse meat found in some supermarket burgers.

It has emerged that some beefburgers on sale in UK and Irish Republic supermarkets contained horsemeat.

It was discovered after tests in the Irish Republic.

The Food Standards Agency is understood to be trying to establish if any of the products ended up on Northern Ireland shelves.

Food safety officials in the Irish Republic made the discovery after tests carried out two months ago.

The burgers had been on sale in Tesco and Iceland in the UK and the Republic of Ireland, where they were also on sale in Dunnes Stores, Lidl and Aldi.

The officials said there was no risk to human health and the burgers had been removed.

Tesco said it was "working... to ensure it does not happen again".

The Food Safety Authority of Ireland (FSAI) said the meat had come from two processing plants in the Irish Republic - Liffey Meats and Silvercrest Foods - and the Dalepak Hambleton plant in Yorkshire.

A total of 27 burger products were analysed, with 10 of them containing traces of horse DNA and 23 containing pig DNA.
'Unacceptable'

Horsemeat accounted for approximately 29% of the meat content in one sample from Tesco, which had two frozen beefburger products sold in both the UK and Ireland contaminated with horse DNA.
...

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-northern-ireland-21041198

[Graham]

I'd never really thought about the taboo we have against horsemeat in the Western Anglicised countries, but I went onto Wikipedia when this story broke and read up on how widely it is eaten elsewhere.

There's probably a fair percentage in our salami as well, and doubtless I've eaten and enjoyed it when working on the continent.

Graham

[Bilbo1967]

Personally, I'd have no problem eating horse meat. I don't see why it's that different to any other meat.

I think the problem here is that something is being sold which isn't as it is labelled. I'd have a similar issue with something labelled horse meat that turned out to be 30% beef.

Given it's in Ireland, perhaps we finally have an answer to the Shergar mystery?

[wodin]

Tastes like black dog, which thankfully doesn’t taste like chicken.

[hidari]

I ate horse meat, horse sausage and raw horse meat many a time. Good food. basashi as it is called in Japan is quite tasty...

Ate horse Sausage in Russia... when I lived there.

[wodin]

Ginger tabbies taste like chicken!

[HarryT]

Originally Posted by Bilbo1967

Personally, I'd have no problem eating horse meat. I don't see why it's that different to any other meat.

I think the problem here is that something is being sold which isn't as it is labelled. I'd have a similar issue with something labelled horse meat that turned out to be 30% beef.

Given it's in Ireland, perhaps we finally have an answer to the Shergar mystery?

Selling horsemeat for human consumption is illegal in the UK.

[Sweetpea]

Originally Posted by HarryT

Selling horsemeat for human consumption is illegal in the UK.

Can you tell the reason why?

[Stitchawl]

Raw horsemeat is considered a delicacy in southern Japan, and we eat it often when we are visiting the in-laws. I could never understand why we Americans cringe at the idea of eating horse, although certainly before traveling outside the US most of us would never even consider it. But then, it was the same for eating raw fish in the US 25 years ago, or Tofu, kimchee, and snails.

Stitchawl

[HarryT]

Originally Posted by Sweetpea

Can you tell the reason why?

I've no idea. Simply a cultural thing, I suspect. As you know, it's certainly available in many other European countries (France, for example).

[Billi]

If something natural is forbidden then the church can't be far away.
In this case it was pope Gregory III who imposed the ban on eating horsemeat in 732.

[pdurrant]

The problem isn't the fact that it's horse. The problem is that it isn't beef.

[Stitchawl]

Originally Posted by pdurrant

The problem isn't the fact that it's horse. The problem is that it isn't beef.

Wouldn't that then rule out lamb, pork, and goat too?


Stitchawl

[Bilbo1967]

Originally Posted by HarryT

Selling horsemeat for human consumption is illegal in the UK.

Well I did not know that. You learn something every day (thankfully).

[Sweetpea]

Originally Posted by HarryT

I've no idea. Simply a cultural thing, I suspect. As you know, it's certainly available in many other European countries (France, for example).

It's used here as well...

Originally Posted by pdurrant

The problem isn't the fact that it's horse. The problem is that it isn't beef.

Originally Posted by Stitchawl

Wouldn't that then rule out lamb, pork, and goat too?

Especially lamb, as they eat a lot of that on the other side of that ditch! (at least, if I have to believe Jamie Oliver, who I love to watch!)

Just read the wiki page: it's not so much forbidden as a taboo in English speaking countries... And that ban about eating horse meat is only for Roman Catholics. And it's not kosjer so Jews don't eat it either...