The French are applauding the recent outbreak of horse meat in beef-labelled products. With horse meat consumption showing a steady decline over the last three decades, France has translated the scandal into a trend.

There are currently 750 butchers in the country, with 17% of the population claiming to have eaten horse meat. 11 000 French farmers are currently raising horses for the meat trade.

Yves Burger (we swear that’s a real name), President of the National Association of Meat-Producers Interbev said:

We have had to endure a lot of attacks. Every year our opponents mount major publicity campaigns to tell people not to eat horse. But what we have noticed is the effect of these campaigns is diminishing. More and more, we see that people want to keep an open mind about eating horse – which is as it should be.

France is facing a horse meat revolution, with trendy chefs putting horse meat on their menus, from juicy horse meat burgers or a tender horse steaks.

A number of restaurateurs have said they are checking out where to buy top-quality horsemeat. It’s all about a return to old values, a kind of nostalgia. And yes it is all rather trendy and Parisian. But there’s a frisson, no question about it.

And the French make no bones about the tradition of l’hippophagie (eating horse meat). Just be sure you understand what is on the menu before ordering food in France.

[Source: BBC News]