Va rat meat

Va Rat Meat

　　Rat meat is relatively tender and has a unique flavor. Cooking porridge with roasted rat jerky tastes even better than using fresh rats.

　　Eating rats and insects is part of the Va people's dietary customs. Many ethnic groups in border regions have the habit of eating rats, but the rats they consume are mainly forest squirrels, cave rats, and field mice. In addition to these types of rodents, the Va also eat rats found around their homes or in the fields. The Va use various methods to catch rats, including encirclement, shooting, trapping, and hand-catching, with encirclement being the most common.

　　 【Preparation Method】 (1) Select several live, plump, healthy rats (with shiny fur, lively movement, and good fatness). First, burn off their fur with a torch, then remove the internal organs, wash them clean, and cook them with rice. This dish is called “rat porridge.”

　　(2) Once the rats are cooked, scoop them out of the porridge with a spoon, chop them finely, and mix with salt, chili, and other seasonings before eating with the porridge.

　　(3) If too many rats are caught at once and cannot be eaten right away, they can be hung on the drying rack above the fireplace to be smoked and dried, turning them into rat jerky for later consumption.