Did you know that some Japanese people have a habit of eating meats that are considered exotic by others? Let’s learn about 3 such unusual meats.
- Horse sashimi aka basashi
People from Kumamoto Prefecture take pride in their signature delicacy, basashi. It doesn’t have an unpleasant smell at all, so you don’t have to feel squeamish about eating it. Dip it in soy sauce, pair it with sake, and soon, you’ll be racing to devour the entire plate.
- Deer meat
People from Nagano Prefecture face the problem of too many deer destroying their farmlands, so what do they do? They hunt deer down (within approved guidelines). At Nagano, you can enjoy delicious deer in various forms: deer curry, deer shumai dumplings and venison burgers!
- Whale meat
Did you know that whale meat was once so highly prized that it appeared regularly in school children’s lunches in the 1970s? These days, due to the ethical dilemma of killing whales, eating these mammals isn’t so common. However, some Japanese still eat whale meat occasionally because of its benefits as a health supplement or as a potential weapon in the fight against dementia.