I knew the day would come when I would eat basashi. It is one of the foods that Nagano Prefecture is known for, and it seems like everyone I know has tried it. So when I was at an izakaya the other day, and basashi was on the menu, I knew it was time.

For those of you who know some Japanese but don’t know what meat that is, look at the first character of basashi: 馬. For those of you who don’t know Japanese, I’ll just tell you: it’s horse. Raw horse sashimi. It was surprisingly good, too! Very buttery and soft, kind of melts in your mouth. I’ve heard that (like any food served raw) it depends on where you get it and how expensive it is. Some friends described it like I did, others said it was tough and chewy. I’ve also heard that some horses are bred for riding and for work, while others are bred just for their meat.