Just a quick round-up cribbed from NutritionData via KQED to address the issue of how nutritious is horse meat compared to beef in the wake of “StableGate” (horse DNA allegedly present in value burgers sold by UK and Iris supermarkets).
Horse meat is about 120 vs beef’s 130 kilocalories per 100 grams. They have similar cholesterol levels and pretty much the same protein content when comparing lean cuts. Horse meat has twice the iron of beef and more than twice the vitamin B12, but less B6, niacin and folate.
The levels of omega-3 fatty acids – supposedly linked to reduced risk of heart disease stroke and neurodegenerative diseases – are much higher in horse (360 mg/100g); just 21 mg in beef steak.
Numerous cultures are not in the slightest bit squeamish about eating horse meat, although Brits and Americans usually seem not to be among them. Personally, I think meat is meat, if you’re slaughtering one grass-eating mammal and then frying or stewing its rump it could just as easily be the sheep, cow or horse. I do think we could solve many of our climate, poverty and food security issues if we made goat the staple meat product given that it can produce meat and new goats at a high rate even scrabbling around on a few blades in the desert. Goats also have a slightly less cutesy image than horses, frolicking lambs and those ruminants with “cow eyes”…