Abstract
BackgroundSince outside the tribal areas of North-East India it is not widely known, neither in the world nor in India itself, that rats are considered a delicious food item, this was one of several reasons why we decided to present this ethnographic account of rat procurement and preparation (together with some additional comments on the cultural role that rats have especially amongst members of the Adi tribe). Consumption of rats by humans as a biological control method far superior to the use of rodenticide poisoning and rat consumption as a way to reduce hunting pressure on rare wild animals were further considerations to publish this account.MethodsSemi-structured interviews were conducted with male and female members of eight tribal communities in Arunachal Pradesh (North-East India) on the uses of rats as food and as cultural objects. The construction of rat traps as well as the preparation of rat dishes were observed and recorded photographically.ResultsNumerous species of small rodents, collectively called “rats” by the locals of North-East Indian tribes and comprising the species Rattus rattus Linnaeus, R. nitidus Hodgson, R. burrus Miller, R. tanezumi Temminck as well as Bandicota bengalensis Gray and Hardwicke, B. indica Bechstein, and Mus musculus Linnaeus, are regularly trapped and consumed in roasted, cooked or smoked form. In this well-illustrated report the kinds of devices used to catch these animals are described and information is provided on how to prepare rats for human consumption. The role that rats as food and gift-exchange items play in the context of local culture is explained and the locals’ most highly appreciated meat dish, known as bule-bulak oying and consisting of boiled rat’s tail, legs and inner organs, is introduced.ConclusionGiven the need to meet the world’s future food demands and the environmental consequences of an expanding livestock production with regard to global warming, water availability, deforestation, soil erosion etc., rats as a food item, as our example shows, should not be overlooked. Using rats as food reduces hunting pressures on other wild and often already rare animals. It is a far superior method to control rat populations than poisoning the rodents and the artisanal construction of rat traps by local menfolk helps maintaining traditional skills and knowledge.
Highlights
Apart from a few individuals, who keep rats as pets and some scientists who carry out experiments on them, rats are genuinely disliked by people with a European cultural background [1]
There, too, people are not ignorant to the damage rats can cause to their stored food products and people of the Adi tribe, for instance, construct store houses in such a way that rats cannot get into them (Fig. 1)
Since outside the tribal areas it is not widely known, neither in the world nor in India itself, that rats are eaten by humans, this is one of several reasons why we decided to present this ethnographic account of rat procurement and preparation
Summary
Apart from a few individuals, who keep rats as pets and some scientists who carry out experiments on them, rats are genuinely disliked by people with a European cultural background [1]. There, too, people are not ignorant to the damage rats can cause to their stored food products and people of the Adi tribe, for instance, construct store houses in such a way that rats cannot get into them (Fig. 1). Since outside the tribal areas of North-East India it is not widely known, neither in the world nor in India itself, that rats are considered a delicious food item, this was one of several reasons why we decided to present this ethnographic account of rat procurement and preparation (together with some additional comments on the cultural role that rats have especially amongst members of the Adi tribe). Consumption of rats by humans as a biological control method far superior to the use of rodenticide poisoning and rat consumption as a way to reduce hunting pressure on rare wild animals were further considerations to publish this account
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