Nagano

A don with cherry pink high-grade horsemeat. Such varieties are only in Nagano?

Sakura don

"Sakura don" is a local delicacy of Iijimacho using high-grade sakura meat (horsemeat) made for everybody to become familiar with it. High-grade horsemeat is called "sakuraniku" because of its cherry pink color. Horsemeat is eaten on a daily basis in France, and is very popular for women as well since it is as low in calories as chicken breasts, but contains glycogen and high in good quality animal proteins. Iijimacho has been known as one of the best producers of horses since the old times of Takeda Shingen, and there used to be chuma (horses for transporting goods) coming and going in the Inakaido streets (Sanshukaido) along the city in the Edo Period. Horsemeat was a precious food to get animal proteins for people in Shinshu area where there is no coastlines to catch fish.