Originally Posted by marais
And horsemeat is different...a bit stringy, with an off taste that I can't describe as traditionally "gamy" but definitely there. I had horse at a Paris bistrôt in the early 70's under the name steak au poivre, and I knew when eating it that it sure wasn't cow...otherwise it would have been (and would have tasted like) biftek.
Interesting. Horsemeat, if a decent cut, shouldn't be stringy, and if properly
handled shouldn't be at all gamy. I've been amused by the evolution of French
since I became familiar with it fifty years ago: back then, a beefsteak was
definitely "bifteck"; now, it's "steak" or sometimes "steack." When conversing
(rustily) with a friend's daughter not too long ago I was struck by the changes
in vocabulary and even syntax from the olden days (she sort of chuckled when
I referred to the train line as a "chemin de fer"). The '70s would have been some
kind of transitional time, I guess.