Can You Eat City Rats?
WouterIf you’re wondering whether you can eat city rats, think again. Although they’re not the healthiest foods, rats are a common food source in Asia. In China, for example, they are a main dish served to families. They are also sold by street vendors, skewered on sticks.
Rats are available on the street in some Southeast Asian countries, and earlier editions of The Joy of Cooking even included instructions for butchering squirrels. But nowadays, most Western cuisines don’t feature rodents as food, relegating them to the status of vermin.
Rats have long been associated with disease, although they weren’t responsible for the bubonic plague epidemic that swept medieval Europe. The CDC lists a variety of diseases transmitted by rats, including hantavirus, leptospirosis, plague, and rat bite fever. However, rats are unlikely to transmit the deadly virus tularemia to humans.
Although rats are low on the food chain, they are delicious meals for many creatures. Some predators will swallow them whole, and others will enjoy them. But larger predators are not likely to choose rats as their first choice of meal. In these cases, they can substitute other game. However, consuming a city rat is not recommended.
Rats have incredibly sharp teeth and can eat just about anything. Their diet can include pet food, compost, and even pet food. However, if you can’t find their preferred food, they’ll happily eat anything else.
