'Smoked Rats' a delicacy in Mizoram

Can you ever think that Rats can also be an epicurean delight. Yes, as per a report in Hindustan Times, in Mizoram state of India, 'Smoked Rats' is a delicacy & rodents are in much demand in the kitchens over there. Vendors over there sell these rats openly & many of the vendors are able to sell as many as 200 smoked rats a day.

Though it may be unsafe to eat rats, smoked rats are still in very much demand in Mizoram's Capital city of Aizawl. Rats are normally caught by traps in paddy fields & hundreds of smoked rats come in to the Aizawl from the nearby villages like Khawruhlian, Sesawng, Rawpuichhip daily. Normally the cost of one smoked rat is in the range of Indian Rupees 15 to Indian Rupees 20. ( US $ 0.33 - 0.44).

Practice of eating rats started during the famine of the 1950s. During that bamboo famine, rats multiplied like anything in the paddy fields & destroyed all the crops. So due to all that, out of desperation, people started eating rats. Later it took the form of a normal food & now it has become a delicacy in Mizoram.

Other than the weird practice of eating rodents, which many times are killed by poison also, frogs (Tadpoles & baby frogs) are also a favorite dish in the kitchens of Mizoram.

Read also: 10,000 Rats Killed

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