Japan's Raw Horse Meat Ice Cream Was Real (And Weird)

Yes, you read that correctly. In 2004, the Japanese Ice Cream Association decided that what the ice cream industry really needed was chunks of raw horse meat mixed into vanilla. They called it basashi ice cream, and it was a real product that real humans could actually purchase and consume.

The inspiration came from basashi, a traditional Japanese delicacy of thinly sliced raw horse meat served sashimi-style with soy sauce, ginger, and onions. Horse meat is genuinely popular in Japan, particularly in regions like Kumamoto. So someone at Fugetsudo—a 120-year-old Japanese sweets manufacturer—thought: "Why not turn this into ice cream?"

Ice Cream City: Where Weird Dreams Come True

Basashi ice cream wasn't sold in regular grocery stores. It found its home at Ice Cream City, a specialized ice cream museum inside Namja Town, a food-themed amusement park in Tokyo. Ice Cream City was ground zero for Japan's experimental ice cream movement, featuring flavors that ranged from mildly unusual to "why does this exist?"

The horse meat version came in a mildly sweet vanilla base with minced horsemeat mixed throughout. Some versions even featured a chocolate coating and a cherry on top, as if a cheerful presentation would somehow make raw meat ice cream more appealing.

Did Anyone Actually Like It?

Not really. Despite the Ice Cream Association's promotional efforts, basashi ice cream was not a crowd-pleaser. The combination of cold, sweet vanilla and raw meat proved to be a bridge too far for most consumers—even adventurous ones. It became more of a novelty item and a "I can't believe I tried this" experience than a genuine culinary success.

The product represented Japan's broader willingness to experiment with ice cream flavors. Other unusual varieties at Ice Cream City included:

• Squid ink ice cream
• Eel ice cream
• Chicken wing ice cream
• Octopus ice cream
• Cactus ice cream

The Legacy of Weird Ice Cream

While basashi ice cream didn't revolutionize the frozen dessert industry as hoped, it secured its place in internet history as one of the most bizarre food experiments of the 2000s. It's a reminder that just because you can turn something into ice cream doesn't necessarily mean you should.

Today, Namja Town still exists in Tokyo's Ikebukuro district, though Ice Cream City closed in 2019. The legacy of basashi ice cream lives on in "weird Japan" listicles and the collective memory of adventurous eaters who were brave—or foolish—enough to give it a try.