A horse is a horse, of course, but what if the horse is a meatball course, served at Ikea alongside mashed potatoes, gravy, and lingonberry jam?
Horse meat was discovered in Ikea’s famous Swedish meatballs this week, and the retailer responded by withdrawing the meatballs from their stores in fourteen European countries. It's the latest in an escalating crisis over horse meat appearing in beef products.
But, based on our western food history, shouldn’t we expect filler in meatballs and other ground-meat foods? Isn’t that what ground meat foods are all about? Should we really expect meatballs and meatloaf to be made of only prime cuts of steak? And why are we so squeamish when we discover they aren’t?
Paul Freedman is a medieval historian at Yale University who’s written about food. And he’s the editor of the book, "Food: The History of Taste."
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Comments [5]
- As for me, horse meat is so incredibly stringy that it's hard to think about the flavor while chewing on the meat endlessly! -
You cooked it too long.
Why isn't Argentina not on this?! I thought they'd have a "Department of Beef" always on the look out for countries resorting to eating Seabiscuit.
Your guest inaccurately sited The Jungle's author as Sinclair Lewis. The author is Upton Sinclair. Not judging. It happens. Just wanted to mention it. I love the book.
When I was in Italy in 1996, horse meat was sold (and labeled as such) in the supermarket along with all of the other meats. I'm puzzled as to why Europe seems to be so horrified. As for me, horse meat is so incredibly stringy that it's hard to think about the flavor while chewing on the meat endlessly!
I appreciate all points of view in this so-called debate whether we would or would not eat horse meat. But my question takes matters further: why do we still eat meat? Horse meat is no different than, say, cat, or rat meat. People in China and Thailand eat dogs and we are all aflame with rhetoric about their barbaric ways! Why love one and eat another, or think that one is better than the other to consume? Your guest, the Medieval History professor was so squeamish about eating rats and dogs than horse and ground meat (whatever you may conceive it to be) you'd think that he has actually tasted either one!
The question should not be which animal to abuse, kill and eat. We have been doing that for centuries, especially these days with factory farming. We are so disconnected with the "food" (i.e. meat) and where it comes from, we do not realize that this thing called "food" comes from a living, breathing being with a heartbeat and a mom, and siblings and basic desires to live, love and care for their young. Just like humans. In our callous, egomaniacal society and culture we forget that millions of living creatures are viciously murdered every day in the name of what we call food. So, the question remains: why do we still eat meat?
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