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Indian officials tell poor people to start eating rats: 'The beauty is we have billions of them'

Last updated at 22:50pm on 12.08.08

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Rats on menu: Poor people in some parts of India are being told to eat them

Rats on the menu: Poor people in some parts of India are being told to eat them

Indians living in one of the country's poorest state have been told to eat rats.

The rodents are already consumed by an impoverished caste in Bihar called the Musahars or 'rat-eaters'  -  but most people find the idea distasteful.

Now state officials are asking hotels and restaurants to devise interesting ways of poaching, roasting or stewing the meat.

'Once people accept it as just another meat like chicken or mutton, it will become popular,' said Vijay Prakash, Bihar's social welfare secretary.

Rat meat is already cooked in some Bihar villages and Mr Prakash's mission is to spread the taste to urban areas because poor rat-catchers will only make enough money once demand grows.

'It is very high in protein and the beauty is that we have billions of rats,' he said.

He wants rat snacks served at bus and train stations, and roadside cafes.

'In the countryside, in roadside cafes, people have rats as a snack with drinks,' he added.

Mr Prakash's objective is to give Bihar's poor a source of nourishment and income.

'India has about eight rats per person. If rat meat sells for 50 rupees a kilo and each rat weighs a kilo  -  field rats are fat and heavy  -  then a poor family can make 150 rupees a day by catching just three rats.

'Once it becomes as normal as chicken, then I will encourage people to start rat farming.'


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Is this the sort of benefit the multicultural society will bring to us?

- Kedge, marlboro wilts

This could of been dreamed up by the Labour think tank to tackle the credit crunch!

- Simon, Hanworth

How civilised. This is the country taking all our banking jobs because they're so cheap and they're still marrying dogs and eating rats. Splendid.

- Squiz, Islington

That'll really go down well in the area where they actually revere rats as reincarnated people (can't remember the details, only the fact of it) in India. Anyway, unpleasant though it might seem, its still protein. It is still a way to reduce the problem of pandemic rat infestation in the area too.

....but I don't think I'll be checking out rat-burgers any time soon for myself!

- Rogan, DFW TX


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