Briefly, Horse isn't eaten in Britain today in part out of sentiment,
one suspects, and in part because it is difficult to obtain.
Historically, the traditional answer is that Pope Gregory forbade the
eating of horsemeat by decent Christians, in order to distinguish them
from nasty heathens, who, presumably, did eat horse. How much
historical fact lies behind that traditional tale, and why that
restriction has stuck more firmly in Britain than elsewhere in Europe, I
would not like to say!
Terry O'Connor
Jacqui Mulville wrote:
>
> Cross-posted from britarch for you all. I shall post the
> replies over to britarch, or you could CC it to
> [log in to unmask] Please do not reply to me, but to
> the list(s).
> jacqui
> --- Begin Forwarded Message ---
>
> Vince here:
>
> Mick Aston made a throw away remark on last Sundays TT
> about the fact that people don't eat horses. That's true in
> UK as far as I know, but certainly they are eaten in Europe
> (I know: I ate some in Belgium, although the providers
> didn't tell me until afterwards: it was OK, a bit like
> beef). But why don't English people eat horses? We eat
> almost every other herbivore and omnivore that walks the
> earth, flies above it, or burrows in it (or at
> least, we did).
>
> I can't believe it's a religious thing, 'cos I've just been reading the
> Museum of London book about 'The medieval horse and its rider' and there
> the point is specifically made that 'the horse is not for
> consumption', and that there was always a problem disposing
> of the carcases, although horse hides were used in tanning.
> And this takes us back to the period when most of Europe
> had a common set of religious values.
>
> I'm really curious to see if anyone knows.
>
> ----------------------
> Jacqui Mulville,
> EH Regional Science Advisor (E. Mids)
> Oxford University Museum,
> Parks Road, Oxford OX1 3PW
> Tel: 01865-272996 Fax: 01865-272970
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