Horsemeat in the culinary traditions of the Mishär Tatar diaspora in the eastern Baltic Sea region: cultural and historical aspects

Abstract

Hippophagy is still unthinkable in many European countries, but in the Mishär Tatar culinary tradition, horsemeat products play an important role. Part of the Mishär Tatars, originally from Nizhny Novgorod province (Russia), migrated to the eastern Baltic Sea region in the nineteenth and early twentieth century. They continued to slaughter horses and eat horseflesh, despite being opposed and stigmatized by the majority in their new surroundings. Today, home slaughtering has disappeared, and the tradition focuses mainly on sausages prepared for domestic consumption or bought in food stores. Horsemeat is today considered a delicacy and an important aspect of commensality among Mishär Tatars. There is a small and persistent market for horseflesh products in the eastern Baltic Sea area, mainly Finland, Saint Petersburg (Russia), Estonia, and Latvia. Hippophagy continues to play an important role for the diaspora Mishär Tatar identity and the preservation of traditional narrative and culture, and so far it has resisted all adaptation attempts in the majority societies, where horsemeat is frowned upon.

Between Religious Identity and National Identity? Pentecostal Finnish Roma in Lutheran Finland

“…The class-related matter of horse meat consumption became a concern for the early animal welfare societies in Finland and is a prime example of the high visibility of Tatars in the Finnish public sphere before independence. Russian literature and Finnish explorers spread stories about the custom of eating horse meat, "which seems to be the best delicacy of the Tatars" (Pohjan Poika, December 30, 1907, 2; on horse meat consumption, see Svanberg, Ståhlberg, and Bekkin 2020). The Tatars' reputed taste for horse meat interfered with a change in Finnish law and culture regarding the treatment and slaughter of horses.…”

Fermented mutton in the Faroe Islands: the survival of a local artisanship and food heritage

“…Social-ecological systems are complex when it comes to subsistence and involve many factors [ 8 ]. Some contemporary diets, especially traditional meat dishes, have high cultural, emotional, and nutritional value [ 9 ].…”

“…During the past few years, several ethnobiologists have discovered fermented food as an interesting topic [ 10 – 12 ]. The systematic study of local food production and consumption is central to many ethnobiological research projects, since it provides us with good insights into the complex activity context between animal and human culture, and the bio-cultural domains that emerged from these relations [ 9 ].…”