In recent decades, in the modern world, the issue of eating meat has become extremely acute. This is due, first of all, to the movements of various organizations that advocate for the rights of animals. This situation led to the popularization of vegetarianism, and also gave impetus to a large number of scientific studies aimed at clarifying the issue of the benefits and harms of meat. The article will talk about where cats are eaten in Europe and other parts of the world.
Cat meat is taboo
Considering the questions of where cats are eaten, in which country, it should be said that in most of our planet, cat meat is considered taboo, that is, such food, the use of which, for religious or social reasons, is not welcomed and rejected. If any modern person in Western society is pointed to a certain dish and told that it is fried cat meat, then this person’s hair will stand on end and, gentlyspeaking, appetite will be lost. Such a reaction is purely psychological in nature and is associated with cultural values and the society in which a person grew up.
However, if the same words are said to, for example, a Chinese person, the reaction will be completely opposite, since in some areas of this Asian giant, cat meat is sold in the markets and various delicacies are prepared from it.
Why is cat meat forbidden?
When asked about where cats are eaten in Europe, it should be said that nowhere, since European Union law prohibits the consumption of meat from this pet. There are two reasons for this: firstly, in Europe, cat meat is taboo, and secondly, this ban is associated with sanitary standards. Unlike beef or pork, cat meat does not exist and is not subject to he alth checks for the presence of any pests and disease vectors that can be dangerous to humans. Therefore, any trade in cat meat threatens with heavy fines and arrest.
The ban on eating cat meat in European countries does not mean that it is not eaten at all.
Swiss Duck
A couple of years ago, information appeared on the Internet that in Switzerland, a certain young chef Moritz Brunner opened a restaurant in which he offers his visitors to taste fried cat meat prepared according to the famous recipe of his grandmother. Moreover, in his video, Moritz assured that in Switzerland the meat of this homemade furry is eaten by 3% of his compatriots.
In the end it turned out that the video was a "duck" and no Moritz Brunner and the restaurant did not exist. The video was filmed specifically by one of the animal rights organizations that, using the example of cat meat, promoted their slogans to stop eating this animal product at all.
Italian scandal
And yet, questions about where cats are eaten, in which country in Europe, are not without meaning. Italy is a prime example. In 2013, the Association for the Protection of Animal Rights sounded the alarm after it became known that in many restaurants in Rome and other large cities, cat meat was used for cooking, which was passed off as meat from a domestic rabbit.
Why Italy? In the first decade of the 21st century, the country was going through an economic crisis, which is why some restaurants decided to use relatively cheap cat meat. As a rule, these are Chinese restaurants. Given that there were about 120,000 stray cats in Rome alone in 2001, it's not hard to guess where restaurants in Italy got their meat from. At the same time, the "cat business" was engaged not only in Rome, but also in many regions of the north of the country. All people involved in this case were sentenced to imprisonment for a period of 3 to 18 months, since Italian law provides for this pen alty for any mockery of pets. However, there are still places in Italy where cats are eaten illegally.
Where else was cat meat eaten in Europe?
Answering this question is rather difficult, since cats were eaten in almost all countries. Cats came to Europe from eastern countries, and brought them as a means of fighting rats. The rapid reproduction of these domestic predators was successfully used by people for their cuisine, this happened, as a rule, during periods of famine. In the Middle Ages, however, cat meat was considered the food of the poor.
If we consider the recent history, we can say the following: it is known for sure that in 1940 Germany legalized the consumption of meat of dogs, cats and other animals, including animals from the zoo. The same situation existed in Belgium, in France, in Austria and, of course, in Italy in the periods after the First and Second World Wars.
Cat meat in Europe is still "flowers"
If we expand the list of countries where cats are eaten outside of Europe, then it must be said that at present there are 2 countries where the meat of this animal can be sold and bought on a legal basis. These are China and South Korea. You can also buy cat patties illegally in Vietnam, Tahiti and the Hawaiian Islands (U. S. state).
In China, a country where dogs and cats are eaten, for example, there are a lot of markets selling pet meat. As a rule, these markets are located in the southeastern part of the country and in some of its northern regions. Here you can also try a wide variety of dishes based on meat, which is prohibited in the rest of the planet.
WhatFor South Korea, it is generally estimated that about 8-10% of the population consumes cat meat.
The struggle in Vietnam and especially in Tahiti with the commercialization of the meat of the animal in question did not lead to much; in Tahiti, dishes based on it are considered traditional and are too closely connected with the culture of the peoples of the country. In Vietnam, as well as in South Korea and China, there are too many people, but very limited resources for raising, for example, piglets or cows, so pet meat will be in demand here for a long time.
However, in recent decades, there has been a strong influence of Western culture on these countries, which has led to a significant reduction in the volume of trade in cat meat, and in some cases to its complete abandonment. A prime example is Taiwan's 2017 ban on any trade in cat and dog meat.
Why are many organizations around the world against eating animal meat?
If we take into account the countries where cats are legally eaten, the whole problem is not the fact of the ban on meat for Westerners, but how the extraction takes place. The fact is that cats and dogs are literally bullied before they are eaten. In particular, they are kept in cages for weeks and months and use inhuman methods to kill them. That is why many animal rights organizations, and many citizens of different countries, oppose the consumption of domestic meat.animals for human food.
