2018 World Cup: Horse meat is a delicacy in Russia but how does it actually taste?

THERE’S something very strange on the menus of restaurants in Russia that has World Cup fans unsure what to think. We decided to try it out for ourselves.

I KNEW there'd be horsing around when I packed my bags for the World Cup in Russia.

But I didn't know it would be this literal.

I'm in the upmarket SEBBIE Kitchen and Bar steakhouse in Kazan, with a glass of red wine and a board of perfectly cooked medium-rare fillet in front of me. But it's not beef I'm here to try, but rather horse meat.

It looks like beef, but it’s not beef.

Kazan lies in the region of Tatarstan - 800km east of Moscow - and horse is a local delicacy, especially among both the Russians and large population of Uzbekistanis who live here.

Chef at SEBBIE, Ivan Fomin, says the tender meat is one of the most popular dishes on the menu, but admits tourists aren't often brave enough to try it.

"In Kazan people really like horse because it's very soft and has a delicious taste," he said.

"But tourists order more steak than horse, they tend to choose the beef fillet or strip loin."

Zebbie chef Ivan Fomin says not many tourists try the horse fillet mignon.

But I'm no tourist, I'm here for research and it's time to dig in.

My fillet has been cooked at 250 degrees on a hot-plate in a coal oven and is seasoned with salt and pepper, but only after cooking, Ivan stresses). It comes with a red wine jus and a side of beef bone marrow, topped with parmesan cheese and caramelised onions.

As instructed, I cut a very fine sliver. My knife isn't particulary sharp, but it doesn't matter such is the tenderness of the meat.

I take my first bite, without sauce to take in the pure taste and texture of the meat. That taste is similair to beef but you can definitely notice a few subtle differences.

Am I really doing this?

I've eaten horse before, in Spain, but that was an escalope, beaten to a thin slice. This is totally different, and I can't help but taking another bite, and another, this time with the red wine sauce, its sweetness compliments the meat perfectly.

Ivan tells me the horses that end up on the plates in restaurants are reared on farms all around Kazan, who then sell the meat to the local market, where restaurants source it from.

Russians eat the meat in all manners of ways; as steaks, in stews with noodles, in sausages and even raw horse tartar.

It’s surprisingly good!

Some people might take issue with eating horse, no such problems here and I chomp away guilt-free in the knowledge what I am putting in my mouth is also very healthy.

Nutritional research has also shown that horse has fewer calories, a lower fat content and more iron than beef as well as being richer in vitamins and minerals.

It's time to pony up, but Ivan tells me horse is an affordable meat, depending on the cut you get. I ate a fillet steak, 1200 rubles (A$25) compared to a beef fillet ($38).

The final verdict on horse meat? I love it! It's definitely more foal than foul. Although, I have since discovered that the locals in Tatarstan don't just eat it for its taste. Horse meat is known by some in these parts as "Tartar's Viagra".

It might have been good to know that before I'd started eating.