I Could Eat a Horse!

And I did- right in Puglia two wow ago. Horse is very, very common there and no one does a double take like i did the first time I heard about it. People love it many different ways- stewed, thinly sliced  and fried, done like a big 'ol steak, butterflied etc. It is raised in this region, and many of the farms around Matera produce this meat. 

I have to admit, I've been around a lot of horse lovers and so eating it did feel a bit like eating someone's pet, but watching the rest of the dinner party dig in got me over that pretty fast. Horse does not have a lot of fat on it so it makes for some interesting cooking. But the meat is very tender, has a consistency similar to beef but a distinctly different flavor. The muscle fibers seemed to me robe much smaller, which may account for some of the tenderness and difference. The flavor is much more mild than a game meat, but has a similar herbal quality. The first time I had it was at a graduation party for one of Mari and Antonio's friends who had just received her degree from university. That time it was stewed with spices and was dripping with a wonderful sauce. The meat was tender and flakey like a beef stew, but much more flavorful. These photos are of horse cooked over an open fire which was delicious, but for me, I think horse needs to err on the well-done end of the spectrum to be truly enjoyable. This was just a hair medium-rare for me. But speaking of medium-rare, another common way to have horse is carpaccio style, so I will hold my judgement until after I try that. Not sure if it will be this trip though....