Why Almost No One Eats Horse Meat?
In our daily lives, the mainstream meat products we consume mainly include pork, beef, mutton, and chicken and duck meat. Horse meat is rarely seen as a meat product, especially in our southern hilly areas, where horses are particularly rare. Horses are generally used for other purposes, not for consumption.
Why does horse meat feel like almost no one eats it?
Meat products are essentially a source of protein. Different meats have different protein quality and taste. We choose which meat to be our staple meat after considering all the influencing factors and external conditions. I think horse meat is almost no one eats mainly for the following reasons.
First, it's the difference in living areas. Horses are generally found in the northwestern grasslands. In regions like Xinjiang, they often eat horse meat and make horse meat jerky, which has become a regional specialty food for storage and transportation.
In our southern hilly areas, the environment is not suitable for horses to live in and is not a region where horses are abundant, so we rarely see horses, and we can only see them as ornamental animals in zoos. There's almost no idea of 'eating horse meat' in our minds. 'Look how cute and beautiful they are!'
Second, it's determined by production capacity. Today we often eat beef, but in the agricultural era, cows are a powerful species with strong physical strength and endurance, often used for farming and hauling heavy objects, and hold an important position in the eyes of farmers. In that era, we rarely ate beef, and having a few cows became a symbol of wealth and status.
Therefore, our main meat products at that time were 'eating and sleeping, sleeping and eating'. Today we have entered the era of mechanized farming, and the status of cows has gradually declined to become meat products on our tables.
Similarly, the history between humans and horses is long. In ancient battlefields, the military role of horses was invaluable. There were many famous horses in history, such as Guan Yu's Chi Tu. In terms of transportation, due to their strong foot strength, horses became the backbone of the transportation industry, influencing all aspects of people's lives. It would be a waste to eat them.
Today, although there are no more smoke and fire, horses still have great value in the northwestern grasslands and southern zoos. Horses are still regarded as noble and spiritual animals, and it's difficult for them to become a mainstream meat product.
Third, the supply chain and meat texture are also problems. Horses are highly flexible, with high physical consumption and eat a lot, compared to cattle and pigs, it's difficult to raise them, and the output doesn't keep up. There's also the issue of texture. Horse meat is tough, with almost no fat, and they sleep standing up, so the meat is also tough and not suitable for general tastes.
