As and American, Japan has some exotic foods. When you live in Japan sooner or later you will be invited to partake in eating some of those exotic foods. For example, a few days ago I was invited to dinner to celebrate the ending of the Tokyo Gem And Mineral Show. My Japanese friend decided to treat us to one of his favorite restaurants, Kakijimaya, which serves horse.
While they specialize in horse dishes, probably their most famous dish is horse sashimi.
I've been in the mood to try new food lately, but I had to have a beer before I took the horse sashimi plunge.
After several big gulps of beer, the challenge was accepeted.
So how was it? Well, immediately the richness of the meat was apparent, not overwhelming, but rich. Like a good beef, but with a stronger flavor. In addition it was very tender and very slightly chewy. Perhaps it was just a small part of the meat that was chewy. Overall it was pleasant, but due to it being raw, I'll pass on eating it again.
Next up was the horse croquette. Croquettes are pretty hard to do wrong, as I don't think I've ever had one I didn't like. This was no exception. The croquette was full of minced horse meat. This dish was fantastic. Like the sashimi, but cooked and full of flavor. If I was to introduce someone to horse meat, this would be the dish.
Lastly came the horse meat nabe(stew).
If you didn't know, as happened to me a few years ago, this dish just tastes like a beef dish. Unless you are a real foodie, you most likely would never know you aren't eating beef. It's very simple, mixed with vegetables and a citrus soup base. Perfect in the process of trying the different dishes. It was a nice way to finish off dinner.
Of course we really ended the night with coffee flavored pudding.
Even though the meal was pleasant, I'd much rather have a delicious beef or pork or chicken or fish dish, those meats that we eat daily. Oh, and preferably cooked. There are lots of parasites and other bad things that come from eating raw meats.
Until the next foodie adventure, thanks for reading!
