Basashi is a regional dish from Kumamoto Prefecture in Kyushu.
Do you know what kind of meat this is?
It turns out that there is a custom of eating horse in Japan, and basashi means raw horses meat.
While it is now common worldwide to eat raw seafood such as sashimi and sushi thanks to the sushi boom, Japan is perhaps the only place in the world where raw horse meat is eaten.
Just like with cattle, the flavor of basashi differs depending on the cut of meat, such as loin or fillet.
With basashi, the fat from the mane only found on horses, which is called coneru, is popular due to its uniqueness.
It is common to eat basashi together with ginger, garlic, and soy sauce.
There are also marbled cuts of meat, which are extremely delicious as they melt in your mouth as you eat them.
While the white mane fat that does not look like meat at a glance is exceptionally delicious, because it mostly consists of fat we recommend that you eat this cut a little bit at a time while drinking alcohol rather than eating a lot of it.
In addition to basashi, there is also torisashi, which is raw chicken that is eaten in Kagoshima Prefecture as a regional dish.
In contrast to the fatty basashi, this is a cuisine that allow you to enjoy both crunchy and elastic textures.
While the skin is left on at time and some people are a bit put off by appearances, this is also a delicious food.
You can enjoy a taste that is different from basashi.
You can eat basashi at izakaya (Japanese-style pubs) and ryotei (high-class Japanese-style restaurants) in the Kyushu region.
Because basashi is a menu item that is not usually found outside of Kyushu, visit an izakaya that offers foods from Kyushu if you would like to give it a try.
It’s great for people that don’t usually eat raw meat as it does not have a strong smell or taste.
We hope you try it!
Comments