Horsin' around with menus

According to a recent article in the Washington Post, anyone who wants to kill horses for human consumption in the U.S. faces plenty of obstacles, not the least of them a congressional ban on Department of Agriculture funding for horse meat inspections. But that may soon change: A panel in the House of Representatives has voted to lift restrictions on horse slaughter for meat.

The amendment that banned funding for horse meat inspections, which was tacked on to the annual USDA funding bill, was voted down 27 to 25 by the Appropriations Committee in July. The three U.S. slaughterhouses that dealt in horses closed in 2007, according to the nonprofit New Food Economy. Elsewhere in the world, eating horse is more common. Some Japanese consider it a delicacy served as sashimi. It's also served in Belgium, Iceland, Norway, Slovenia and parts of Italy, among other countries. Horses in the United States can be sold and shipped to other countries, where it's legal to slaughter them for food.

Linden Hills market celebrates Julia Child

The Linden Hills Farmers Market (lindenhillsfarmersmarket.com) is making a tradition of celebrating Julia Child's August birthday. The beloved chef would have been 105 this year, so the Minneapolis market is hosting a "birthday party" on Aug. 6 with Lynne Rossetto Kasper, longtime host of American Public Media's "The Splendid Table." She's teaming with Beth Dooley, cookbook author and food columnist for the Star Tribune. They'll host a book-signing at 10 a.m. Midtown Global Market's Kitchen in the Market and Molly McDonald Herrmann will run a cooking show, while Kasper and Dooley play "Stump the Cook, " selecting ingredients that chefs will cook. Tickets ($35) for front-row seating still may be available at lindenhillsfarmersmarket.com, but all other seating is free on a first-come, first-served basis.

Fruity, with notes of liberty

The Associated Press reports that a restoration project at a New Jersey museum has unearthed cases of wine nearly as old as the United States. The Liberty Hall Museum in Union, N.J., says while restoring its wine cellar it discovered almost three full cases of Madeira, a fortified wine, dating to 1796, as well as 42 large glass jugs dating to the 1820s. Bill Schroh, director of operations at Liberty Hall, says it was the best wine to ship during the 18th century because it almost never spoils, even centuries later if stored properly. Liberty Hall President John Kean says he's sampled the wine, comparing it to a sweet sherry.

KIM ODE