Professor Oh Young Joo is author of “Understanding Jeju Food
Culture” and “Horsemeat Dishes for Health,” and is a specialist
in Jeju local cuisine. He teaches nutrition at Cheju Halla
University. — Ed. Horse farming on Jeju started in 1276 when
Yuan Kublai Khan, grandson of Genghis Khan, occupied the island
and brought with him some 160 horses by ship. The horses were
put to pasture around the eastern village of Susan. It was a big
success. The Mongolians then built and operated massive ranches
for their military horses and ever since then Jeju has been
Korea’s largest horse supplier. There is even a Jeju saying:
“Send a horse to Jeju, and send a man to Hanyang [Seoul],”
meaning that the island’s weather and environment are ideal for
raising horses, and its people have outstanding skills breeding
them. Horse meat consumption culture from Mongolia Historically,
Jeju people respected the horse for its many uses. They were
used for food, transportation and communication, during wars,
and for commerce. To the peo