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Donkey meat

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Donkey meat

Donkey meat is produced from the butchering of donkeys. It is traditionally consumed in the Chinese, Italian, and Mexican cuisine.

Production and consumption

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Tapulon is an Italian stew based on donkey meat

Donkey meat is considered to be inferior,[1] so donkeys are usually not used specifically for meat production,[2] except in arid regions where they represent an important food source. Since the donkeys are typically slaughtered at the end of their useful life as working animals, their meat is frequently tough.[1]

The main global producers of donkey meat are China, Burkina Faso, Senegal, Nigeria, Mauritania, and Spain.[3][1] Donkey meat has a smaller market compared to horse meat, and the main consumers are China (which is a significant importer),[4] Italy, and Mexico.[5] Approximately 3.5 million donkeys and mules are slaughtered each year for meat worldwide.[6] In Italy, which has the highest consumption of equine meat in Europe and where donkey meat is the main ingredient of several regional dishes, about 1,000 donkeys were slaughtered in 2010, yielding approximately 100 tonnes (98 long tons; 110 short tons) of meat.[7]

In West Africa, old donkeys are typically butchered at the end of their useful lifetime as pack animals, and their meat is traditionally dried and smoked. In France, donkey meat consumption has become rare after World War II, it is however still used as ingredient for traditional sausages in Provence. Hungary, Poland, and Russia have similar traditions. In the Anglosphere, donkey meat consumption, similarly to horse meat, is generally considered taboo.[8][9]

Donkey meat can be consumed fresh, or used as ingredient for hams and sausages. Fresh donkey meat can be roasted or used as ingredient for stews. Donkey stew and tapulon are two examples of traditional stews in Italian cuisine. In China, the donkey burger is a traditional street food in Baoding and Hejian, Hebei Province. Donkey sausage is traditionally prepared in Italy (salame d'asino), Provence (saucisson d'Arles), in Hungary (Eselwurst) and Poland (Salceson).[10]

Properties

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Donkey meat is similar to horse meat and has a dark red colour, with yellowish fat.

A 100 g portion of donkey meat provides 116 Kcal, with a 3.1% fat and 20.7% protein.[11]

Religion

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Judaism forbids donkey meat consumption.[12] Some Islamic scholars also consider donkey haram.[13][14]

References

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  1. ^ a b c Polidori, Di Girolami & Vincenzetti 2021, p. 65.
  2. ^ Polidori, Di Girolami & Vincenzetti 2021, p. 64.
  3. ^ "Codiciada-Carne de burro in Asia Y Europa".
  4. ^ "La Cina a caccia di asini nel mercato africano" (in Italian).
  5. ^ "Mexico-Donkey". Archived from the original on 2020-06-23.
  6. ^ "FAOSTAT". www.fao.org. Archived from the original on 2018-10-30. Retrieved 2019-10-25.
  7. ^ "Tavola AMR13 – Bestiame macellato a carni rosse – (Gennaio – Dicembre) – Anno 2010" (in Italian). Istat — Istituto Nazionale di Statistica. Retrieved December 2011. Archived from the original on 2012-04-26.
  8. ^ Neville G. Gregory, Temple Gardin, Animal Welfare and Meat Production, CABI, 2007
  9. ^ "Il ritorno della carne d'asino" (in Italian).
  10. ^ "Donkey delicacies".
  11. ^ "Carne d'asino-Valori nutrizionali" (in Italian).
  12. ^ "Are Donkeys Kosher?".
  13. ^ "Sunan Abi Dawud 3790 - Foods (Kitab Al-At'imah) - كتاب الأطعمة - Sunnah.com - Sayings and Teachings of Prophet Muhammad (صلى الله عليه و سلم)". sunnah.com. Retrieved 2023-11-10.
  14. ^ "Religione: cibi proibiti per ebraismo, islam e buddismo" (in Italian).

Sources

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