This again shows how culturally diverse Nepal is. Of course eating rats is no big deal in other cultures: the Chinese practically eat any living creature that moves, but still this is rather unusual for the Indian subcontinent(apart from some rare Indian tribes mentioned later).
A food of their own
Rats are a delicacy among the Tharus, but there is a sense of loss that begets the community
The annual rat-hunting season starts annually after the farmers harvest their paddy-fields, mainly after December. Angnu Chaudhary, one of the seasoned hunters from Badalpur-9, Bardiya, is one of those leaders in the community who feel pride in keeping the ancient food game alive. “More than the meat, what is more important is that the hunt is a game itself,” says Angnu as he slings a faruwa (spade) over his shoulder and sets out to a nearby paddy field. Six other fellow farmers follow him with similar tools.
The rats that they seek are different from the pungent ones that raid godowns, or the really small ones. Instead, the hunt is on for the big furry ones that proliferate in the paddy fields. “We call them musuwas,” Angnu says. These rats live underground in the fields, and feed almost exclusively on food grains. And hunting them is not an easy job. Despite all the time and energy that a single hunt takes, the form has been an entertainment as well for the people since ages.
Here's an interesting piece about Indian government official's reaction to similar rat-eating tribes in India, and another one on the morality of such encouragement.
via The Kathmandu Post .
