Horsemeat's healing properties: Fact or fiction?<\/p>\n
By Singgir Kartana<\/p>\n
YOGYAKARTA (JP): Horsemeat is generally frowned upon for
\ndifferent reasons. Some consider it distasteful and others would
\nsay they do not have the heart to slaughter the hard-working
\ngraceful animal for food.<\/p>\n
But in Yogyakarta, famous for its wide array of traditional
\ndelicacies, there are two roadside vendors offering horsemeat
\nsatay, one on Jl. Sudirman near Hotel Santika and the other at
\nKranggan market, less than one kilometer away.<\/p>\n
Eko Tamtama, 35, who sells satay on Jl. Sudirman, says the
\nidea came in 1997 when he almost gave up thinking what speciality
\ncould attract hungry folks and new customers on the street.<\/p>\n
\"I thought I would at last be able to rid myself of
\ncompetitors,\" said the high school graduate from Boyolali.<\/p>\n
Horsemeat satay is prepared in the same way as \"conventional\"
\nchicken or mutton satay. The seasonings are the same: chili
\nsauce, salt and pepper served with peanut sauce or ketchup.
\nCustomers say horsemeat is as tasty as mutton or beef, except
\nthat it is more fibrous.<\/p>\n
Eko buys the meat from a slaughterhouse in Bantul, just south
\nof Yogyakarta, at Rp 25,000 per kilogram. The horses are bred
\nespecially for consumption.<\/p>\n
On busy days, Eko sells up to eight kilograms of horsemeat a
\nday, earning some Rp 100,000. A portion that contains 10 satay
\nsticks costs just Rp 5,000.<\/p>\n
Horsemeat is claimed to have certain healing properties. Many
\nbelieve it is good to cure skin diseases, asthma and -- for the
\nhealthy -- the low-cholesterol satay is said to be good to warm
\nthe body and improve appetite among children.<\/p>\n
Aris, 35, an employee of a local media company reported that
\nthe acute asthma he suffered for 16 years was gone after he
\nconsumed horsemeat regularly for three months.<\/p>\n
\"My hair stood on end when I was about to consume the meat for
\nthe first time. But then I convinced myself that it is just as
\ngood as other meats,\" he says.<\/p>\n
Budiarto, 40, has a different story. His acute headache
\ndisappeared after he got addicted to horsemeat satay over the
\npast three months.<\/p>\n
So, people go to the warung (foodstall) to consume horsemeat
\nsatay to cure their ailments rather than to savor it as a rare
\ndelicacy.<\/p>\n
Pessimists say that the numerous reported healing properties
\nof horsemeat are a myth rather than a fact. No scientific studies
\nhave proved it.<\/p>\n
\"There has been no research on the nutritional value of
\nhorsemeat, perhaps because it is not generally consumed,\" says
\nEndin Paryanto, chief of the nutrition department at Sarjito
\nGeneral Hospital, Yogyakarta.<\/p>\n
He says there could be truth in the reports that claim
\nhorsemeat can cure ailments like asthma and eczema.<\/p>\n
\"To say that a disease can disappear because an individual had
\na strong belief in the meat's healing property is wrong because
\nphysical ailments cannot be cured with psychological effects
\nalone.\"<\/p>\n
Whatever people say about horsemeat, it has enriched
\nYogyakarta with more food choices.<\/p>",
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