# So why don't we Yanks eat horses? **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [August 30, 2009, 2:05am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-why-dont-we-yanks-eat-horses/508222 "2009-08-30T02:05:57Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 5\ **Page:** 4
**Author:** ![Superfluous\_Parentheses](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/8edcca/32.png) [@Superfluous\_Parentheses](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Superfluous_Parentheses)\ **Post date:** [August 31, 2009, 9:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-why-dont-we-yanks-eat-horses/508222/61 "2009-08-31T21:04:25Z")
> [@Anne\_Neville](#): > > The idea of steak and kidney pie grosses out a lot of us Yanks. Liver is up there with Brussels sprouts as a food very few of us like. Yeah, but _gross_ is not _taboo_. While reading up on this subject I found [this interesting wikipedia article](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Taboo_food) about taboo foods. ---
**Author:** ![Kent\_Clark](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kent_clark/32/105_2.png) [@Kent\_Clark](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kent_Clark)\ **Post date:** [August 31, 2009, 9:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-why-dont-we-yanks-eat-horses/508222/62 "2009-08-31T21:18:27Z")
I’ve had horsemeat while I was in Europe. Americans don’t eat horses because we have cattle. Think about it. Your typical horse is on the tough side and doesn’t really yield all that much meat. On the other hand, a steer (and a pig for that matter) are grain conversion machines. You can get a lot more beef or pork from an acre of pasture or a bushel of corn than you can get cheval. The horse, OTOH had great value as a work animal, despite its big appetite. And it could be productive for 10-12 years as a work animal. Of course, meat from a 10-year old horse is even tougher and gamier. So we had a situation where a few horses were kept for labor, which limited supply. There were a whole passel of cows and pigs, and the meat was cheaper and tastier. Eventually the few horses that were kept around for work became pets, which made them that much harder to be thought of as food. ---
**Author:** ![qazwart](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/q/5fc32e/32.png) [@qazwart](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/qazwart)\ **Post date:** [August 31, 2009, 9:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-why-dont-we-yanks-eat-horses/508222/63 "2009-08-31T21:34:51Z")
> [@DrDeth](#): > > **qazwart** “Then you have the Jews and Moslems who’d think we’re barbaric for eating pork.” Of the Jews I know, none have a problem with gentiles eating pork. According to the same theory, I wouldn’t have any problems with non-Jews eating dogs or cats either, but I still think it’s yucky. And, you guys stay away from Fluffy! ---
**Author:** ![lisacurl](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/41988e/32.png) [@lisacurl](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/lisacurl)\ **Post date:** [August 31, 2009, 9:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-why-dont-we-yanks-eat-horses/508222/64 "2009-08-31T21:40:12Z")
I can’t imagine you would raise horses for meat except now, in modern times, as a specialty thing. Historically, horses would be eaten when they were no longer of use as workers or studs/mares, yes? ---
**Author:** ![Icarus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/icarus/32/72_2.png) [@Icarus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Icarus)\ **Post date:** [August 31, 2009, 9:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-why-dont-we-yanks-eat-horses/508222/65 "2009-08-31T21:51:40Z")
> [@lisacurl](#): > > Historically, horses would be eaten when they were no longer of use as workers or studs/mares, yes? When I was a kid, we ate it occasionally. Some local farmer would slaughter the old nag in the field (no, not his wife!) and share the meat. BBQ for all! [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-why-dont-we-yanks-eat-horses/508222.md?page=3)