[Sca-cooks] Horseflesh in Early Period NW Europe?

[Phil Troy / G. Tacitus Adamantius]

On Mar 15, 2010, at 3:50 PM, Volker Bach wrote:

> Salvete
> 
> I've been trying to figure this out for a while now, but I guess someone here might have done so already and found some source I'm not aware of. Do we have any evidence for horse beraingeaten in Early period Northwestern or northern europe? I know that afew bones from Hedeby show signs of slaughter, and there are horse sacrifices that deposit only the head and feet (the rest presumably consumed), but these are rare outside Slavic areas after the Iron Age. Most horse burials dpon't seem to show any such evidence. 
> 
> Has anyone looked at the sagas or Anglo-Saxon literature from thatz point of view? Or know of a good study of scandinavian graves theway the RBO did the continental ones?
> 
> Any help appreciated
> 
> Giano

I believe there's some reference to horsemeat being eaten in both Roman-era and medieval Britain (including some excavated bones suggesting butchering techniques and consumption) in "Of Butchers And Breeds: Report on vertebrate remains from various sites in the City Of Lincoln", ISBN 1 899641 00 9 .

In addition, there's some rather anecdotal/circumstantial evidence concerning laws made in medieval -- Post-Conquest -- England (I couldn't point you to specifics, but this would be more like pointing you to an empty box the murder weapon had been stored in anyway, if you know what I mean) prohibiting, or attempting to prohibit, the eating of horses, perhaps both for suppression of religious practices as well as political reasons, in the North of England, where, until the mid-20th century or so, a pejorative term for Yorkshiremen was "kicker-eaters". One wonders why this term might exist is there wasn't at least some shred of truth behind it at some point...

This doesn't support the idea that it was widespread, but it might poke a small hole in any theory that it never occurred.

HTH,

Adamantius






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