Dame Valerie Adams has defended eating horse meat. Photo / Getty Images

Dame Valerie Adams has responded to online critics after she shared video of her family enjoying a traditional Tongan delicacy - horse meat.

The Olympic champion was called out by some of her fans after she shared video on TikTok showing her family enjoying a meal of the popular Tongan dish lo'i hoosi.

"Hi guys, we have horse today for dinner!" Adams told her followers as she tucked into the delicacy.

"Don't knock it till you try it fams," the star athlete wrote in an accompanying caption.

She also offered a mouthful to one of her children, saying the meat was "yummy".

"Gabe has his own packet too, he'll start galloping later," she joked as she panned the camera to show her husband Gabriel Price tucking into a serving.

In the comments, Adams offered horse cooking tips to her followers and respectfully answered questions.

One confused fan asked if Adams really was chowing down on horse, which she was happy to clarify.

"Actual horse. You wouldn't know the difference between horse and beef if it was presented to you," she wrote.

Others warned her off by saying that the meat was "not produced for human consumption".

Many others said they found the practice of eating horse distasteful, with one saying "sorry that's wrong" and another telling the celebrated athlete to "leave our horses alone".

While it is rare in New Zealand as a whole, eating horse meat is a long-standing part of Tongan culture - and completely legal in New Zealand.

In the wake of a scandal in 2012/13 that saw horse meat found in products across Europe, the Ministry of Primary Industries posted an update to tells Kiwis about the status of the meat here.

While defending our ability to keep the meat out of our chain of supply through mislabelled products, they reminded New Zealanders that it is "perfectly safe meat for people to eat provided it has been slaughtered and processed as meat for human consumption".

MPI did warn that facilities In New Zealand for processing horse meat for human consumption are limited, a fact which has previously seen unscrupulous traders investigated for selling meat that was only suitable for pet food.

Adams later returned to TikTok to defend herself, posting another video to clear up any confusion.

"Absolutely no joke, we do eat horse," she said, acknowledging that she has received a lot of hate since sharing her equine dinner.

She told viewers that eating horse was a part of her Tongan culture and reminded them that the meat is eaten across Europe, including in Switzerland where she has regularly trained and was able to buy horse jerky.

She signed off with a basic recipe for lo'i hoosi and told viewers: "If you really want to try it, let me know and I might get you some," before ending with a smile and a cheeky impression of a horse's neigh.