🐟 Basashi(Horse sashimi)
The most famous specialty of Kumamoto, Japan's largest producer of horse meat, is "Basashi(Horse sashimi)". Thinly sliced raw horse meat is served with thinly sliced onions, grated ginger, garlic, etc., and dipped in sweet soy sauce. Low in fat and calories, high in protein, and rich in minerals such as iron, calcium, and zinc, horse meat is now a popular ingredient, but it has also long been consumed in Kumamoto as a fortifying and nourishing food. There are various theories as to the origin of "Basashi(Horse sashimi)", but it is said that when Kiyomasa Kato, the first lord of the Kumamoto domain, was leading his army in Korea, he ran out of food on the Korean Peninsula and was forced to kill his military horses for food. He found them so delicious that he continued to enjoy horse meat and "Basashi(Horse sashimi)" after returning to Japan. Meat consumption was almost non-existent during the Edo period, and only a few farmers ate it, but it become widespread in Kumamoto and the Aso region during the Meiji Era. In the Aso region, which produced military horses, people began eating horse meat due to postwar food shortages, leading to the practice being widespread, and restaurants began serving horse meat in the 1950s. "Basashi(Horse sashimi)" tastes different depending on the cut, such as marbled meat (loin), lean meat (thigh), liver, and tongue. There are also many terms unique to horse meat, such as "futaego" (belly), "nekko" (aorta), and "kone" (fat beneath the mane). Horse meat is labelled differently depending on their place of origin. "Kumamoto-produced horse meat" is produced using horses that are born and raised in Kumamoto, and "Kumamoto horse meat" is produced using foals that have been imported from countries such as Canada and fed carefully selected feed for 1 to 1.5 years to improve the quality of their meat. Horses have a higher body temperature than cows and pigs, making it difficult for bacteria that can cause food poisoning to multiply, which is one of the reasons why horse meat can be eaten raw. In addition, horse meat is processed in thoroughly sanitized meat processing plants, and is always frozen before distribution as an anti-parasite measure.