Pesto di cavallo

We say it up front so you can decide before the waiter arrives:

• If you do not eat horse, for any reason, this is horse. There is no disguise.
• If you avoid raw meat, including during pregnancy, order it scottato or not at all.
• If you are with children, expect questions.

Everyone else should know that on Parma trattoria menus horse sits among the everyday dishes, priced like them, not as a dare. It is a lean red meat, and raw it eats much like a beef tartare.

Prices are from Tribunale's live menu and Brisla's website menu, both read September 29, 2026. Older guides also send you to Osteria dello Zingaro near the Duomo for horse dishes; we found no current menu or listing for it in 2026, so we do not.

Raw is the purist's order, dressed with oil, salt and pepper and eaten with bread. Seared is warmer and firmer, a good first try if you are unsure. At Tribunale both cost the same €12, so the choice is only about taste. It makes a light secondo after a plate of tortelli di erbetta or anolini, and a glass of red Lambrusco suits it.

Pesto di cavallo belongs to the trattoria half of Parma's table, the same half as spalla cotta and torta fritta. It does not appear on the dairy and ham tours, and you will not find it at the salumerie. If you want to try it once, do it at lunch at Tribunale, where the rest of the menu is a safe landing if you change your mind: anolini at €13, tortelli d'erbetta at €11, and a salumi board with torta fritta for well under €20. Two people can order one plate of pesto to share as a starter and still eat a full traditional meal around it. For a full list of where we eat, see our restaurant shortlist.