At Aspern-Essling (1809), cut off from the supply lines, the cavalry used the breastplates of fallen cuirassiers as cooking pans and gunpowder as seasoning, thus founding a practice that carried on until at least the Waterloo campaign.

Not even champion racehorses were spared (two horses presented to Napoleon III of France by Alexander II of Russia were slaughtered), but the meat became scarce.

[31][32] British law requires the use of "equine passports" even for semiferal horses to enable traceability (also known as "provenance"), so most slaughtering is done in the UK before the meat is exported,[32] meaning that the animals travel as carcasses rather than live.

American horse meat is considered a delicacy in Europe and Japan, and its cost is in line with veal,[35] so it would be prohibitively expensive in many countries for pet food.

[citation needed] Remains of euthanized animals can be rendered, which maintains the value of the skin, bones, fats, etc., for such purposes as fish food.

[44] In Tonga, horse meat is eaten nationally, and Tongan emigrants living in the United States, New Zealand, and Australia have retained a taste for it, claiming Christian missionaries originally introduced it to them.

[52] In 732 AD, Pope Gregory III began a concerted effort to stop the ritual consumption of horse meat in pagan practice.

While the pope's penal law has been abrogated, in some countries, the effects of this prohibition by the Catholic Church have lingered, and horse meat prejudices have progressed from taboos to avoidance to abhorrence.

Totemistic taboo is also a possible reason for refusal to eat horse meat as an everyday food, but did not necessarily preclude ritual slaughter and consumption.

[62] However, the opposition is far from unanimous; a 2007 readers' poll in the London magazine Time Out showed that 82% of respondents supported chef Gordon Ramsay's decision to serve horse meat in his restaurants.

In 2013, the consumer protection show Kassensturz of Swiss television SRF reported the poor animal conditions at Bouvry Exports, a Canadian horse meat farm in Fort MacLeod, Alberta.

[74] All horse meat produced in the United States since the 1960s (until operations ceased in 2007) was intended solely for export abroad, primarily to the European Union.

[79] From the 1920s and through the 1950s or 1960s, with a brief lapse during World War II, horse meat was canned and sold as dog food by many companies under many brands, most notably Ken-L Ration.

[87][88] A Flemish region around the Rupel River is also famous for a horse stew named schep, made out of shoulder chuck (or similar cuts), brown ale, onions, and mustard.

[94] Although no taboo comparable to that in the English-speaking world exists, German law used to proscribe that horse meat be sold only by specialized butchers (Pferdemetzgereien).

In 1757, the ban was decriminalised, but general distaste for horse meat lasted well into the 19th century, possibly longer, and its consumption often regarded as an indication of poverty.

Horse meat is used in a variety of recipes: as a stew called pastissada (typical of Verona), served as steaks, as carpaccio, or made into bresaola.

In the province of Padua, horse meat is a key element of the local cuisine, particularly in the area that extends southeast from the city, historically called Saccisica.

Most notable is the Festa del Cavallo, held annually in the small town of Legnaro and totally dedicated to horses, included their consumption for food.

[105][106] It is a vital part of the ragù barese ([raˈɡu bbaˈreːze]) in Bari and of the pezzetti di cavallo, a stew with tomato sauce, vegetables and chili, popular in Salento.

[107] According to British food writer Matthew Fort, "The taste for donkey and horse goes back to the days when these animals were part of everyday agricultural life.

"[108] In Malta, horse meat (Maltese: laħam taż-żiemel) is seared and slowly cooked for hours in either tomato or red wine sauce.

Colt steak (žrebičkov zrezek) is also highly popular, especially in Slovenia's capital Ljubljana, where it is part of the city's traditional regional cuisine.

[citation needed] Several varieties of smoked sausage made from horse meat, including Gustafskorv, are also quite popular, especially in the province of Dalarna, where they are produced.

In the segment, Janet Street-Porter convinced locals to try horse meat, though not before facing controversy and being forced to move her stand to a privately owned location.

The meat was presented as having a similar taste to beef, but with less fat, a high concentration of omega-3 fatty acids, and as a safer alternative in times of worry regarding bird flu and mad cow disease.

The segment was met with skepticism from many viewers after broadcast for various reasons, either because some felt the practice was cruel and against social norms, or simply a belief that if the taste was really on par with other meats, then people would already be eating it.

[131] Vince Garreffa is the owner of Mondo Di Carne, a major wholesale meat supplier, which supplies many cafes, restaurants, and hotels in Western Australia.

The Compendium of Materia Medica written during the Ming dynasty by Li Shizhen says that horse meat is poisonous and may cause folliculitis or death.

It can be served raw as sashimi in thin slices dipped in soy sauce, often with ginger, onions, garlic, and/or shiso leaves added.