Horse meat is the flesh of the domestic horse (Equus ferus caballus), eaten across France, Italy, Japan, Central Asia and beyond. Very lean, fine-grained and a deep dark red that browns almost purple, it is distinctly sweeter than beef, tender and faintly gamey; rich in iron and low in fat, it is eaten raw as sashimi, cured, ground for steak tartare, and grilled or braised.