History Main / ReducedToRatburgers

** This was perfectly in line with the stance already taken by the Papacy for most of the MiddleAges over the [[BusyBeaver European beaver]]. It leaves mostly in water ''and'' has a scaley tail after all. On the other hand, otters, for example, were never considered candidates for Lenten fasting food.

** This was perfectly in line with the stance already taken by the Papacy for most of the MiddleAges over the European beaver. It leaves mostly in water ''and'' has a scaley tail after all. On the other hand, otters, for example, were never considered candidates for Lenten fasting food.

** This was perfectly in line with the stance already taken by the Papacy for most of the MiddleAges over the European beaver, an other big semi-aquatic rodent. More understandable though, given beavers ''do'' have a scaley tail after all.

** many of the city's finest restaurants put pigeon (though there's a tradition of cooking young pigeons raised to this end [dovecotes were originaly made for this, ''not'' messenger pigeons] in fine cuisine, eating fully-grown, let alone feral pigeons, is not), cats, dogs and rats too on the menu. Almost all the animals from the zoo were also eaten: zebras, ostriches, elephant... These trials and others the Parisians suffered are in no small part one of the origins of the [[https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Paris_Commune Paris Commune]].

* A Western journalist reported after an earthquake in Central America that the locals were so starving they were eating rats. The 'rats' [[DidNotDoTheResearch were actually guinea pigs, part of the local diet]].

* One of the key tips on wilderness survival is to find and eat earthworms since they're a safe and readily accessible source of essential protein, DESPITE the fact that they're raw and alive...



* Three Cuban boat refugees, rescued from an uninhabited island in the Bahamas in February 2021, cited rats (along with coconuts and conch) as their main source of food during the month they were stranded.
* Brood X is an exceptionally large group of cicadas that emerge every 17 years in parts of the United States. In 2021, a number of restaurants in those areas arranged to harvest them and sell novelty cicada-based dishes. In response, the US Food and Drug Administration issued warnings for potential food allergies.
* Some scientists recommend switching to insect meat if cows become unsustainable, usually mentioning crickets, beetle larvae, or [[MessyMaggots maggots]], much to the horror of western carnivores. The West is in fact quite an exception, as in many areas of the world, especially tropical ones where insects or terrestrial crustaceans/molluscs may grow bigger, eating them is no problem, like people who travelled for example in Mexico, Thailand or Tanzania can attest. Scorpios, tarentulas, termit queens, giant snails, honeypot-ants and various wormlike larvae (e.g. from social wasps species) may even be seen as delicacies once cooked or grilled. Even between Westerners, taste or disgust towards non-vertebrate meat varies among ethnies (snails, seashells, crustaceans, etc.).

* In a RealLife variant blending this trope with EmergencyFoodSupplyAnimal, some poor Italians during World War II were forced to eat cats, whether strays or pets, in order to survive. In particular, people from Vicenza are still mockingly called "Magnagati" (Cat Eaters) at times.

* During the [[UsefulNotes/FrancoPrussianWar Siege of Paris by the Prussians in 1871]], most of the population had to resort to rats kept alive in cages, and sold on open-air markets, to get meat. Usually the rodent would be killed off seconds after being bought by a rat dog owned by the seller.
** many of the city's finest restaurants put pigeon (though there's a tradition of cooking young pigeons raised to this end [dovecotes were originaly made for this, ''not'' messenger pigeons] in fine cuisine, eating fully-grown, let alone feral pigeons, is not), cats, dogs and rats too on the menu. Almost all the animals from the zoo were also eaten: zebras, ostriches, elephant... These trials and others the Parisians suffered are in no small part one of the origins of the [[https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Paris_Commune Paris Commune]].
* In poorer cities, some homeless people still catch and eat rats. In some English-speaking areas, one euphemism, related to the above about cats, nicknames rats caught in subway tunnels "track rabbits."
* Some years ago, there was a food scare in Jakarta, Indonesia, when a TV station aired a story claiming that some local noodle sellers were making their meatballs out of rat. A large group of noodle sellers subsequently picketed the TV station because they'd lost business as a result. (The usual ingredient for Indonesian ''bakso'' meatballs, by the way, is beef.)
* When the first ''Survivor'' season contestants ate rats on the island, the audience actually felt that they should be prohibited from doing so, not because of the ''Squick'' factor, but because, being a game show, they didn't actually ''need'' the rats to survive.
* Some memoirs of North Korean gulag survivors detail how prisoners would catch rats to supplement their meager rations. The guards, if anything, encouraged the practice because they believed that it was another way to humiliate the prisoner and because it worked as a fairly effective form of pest control.
* In the wake of Venezuela's economic meltdown, there have been no shortage of stories of people being reduced to eating pests. None are more famous than the ones of people robbing milk trucks to harvest the rats infesting them.

* The capybara -- another rodent, the largest one in the world -- was historically sought out by European colonists in South America for its meat. Why? Because, according to popular anecdote, based on the description they sent to UsefulNotes/ThePope, the semi-aquatic capybara was certified as a "fish" for the purposes of Lenten fasting. You can bet they [[LoopholeAbuse loved that opportunity to eat red meat]] during Lent, even if it did come from a giant rat...
** This was perfectly in line with the stance already taken by the Papacy for most of the MiddleAges over another big semi-aquatic rodent, i.e. the European beaver. More understandable though, given beavers do have a scaley tail.

* A Western journalist reported after an earthquake in Central America that the locals were so starving they were eating rats. The 'rats' were actually guinea pigs, part of the local diet.
* Jewish dietary law has a blanket ban on the eating of insects, with the explicit exception of locusts, this "loophole" was probably created to give poor farmers something to eat during locust infestations.
* Fur trappers often ate the animals they trapped. Some, like beavers, are reportedly quite tasty. Others, like wolves and bears, may not be all that delicious but it's a lot easier to harvest a few steaks off the better tasting parts of the animal than to go out and try to hunt something else for supper.

* Some scientists recommend switching to insect meat if cows become unsustainable, usually mentioning crickets, beetle larvae, or [[MessyMaggots maggots]], much to the horror of carnivores everywhere.

** many of the city's finest restaurants put pigeon (though there's a tradition of cooking young pigeons raised to this end [dovecotes were originaly made for this, ''not'' messenger pigeons] in fine cuisine, eating fully-grown, let alone feral pigeons, is not), cats, dogs and rats too on the menu. Almost all the animals from the zoo were also eaten: zebras, ostriches, elephant... These trials and others the Parisians suffered are in no small part one of the origins of the ParisCommune.

** many of the city's finest restaurants put pigeon (though there's a tradition of cooking young pigeons raised to this end [dovecotes were originaly made for this, [i]not[/i] messenger pigeons] in fine cuisine, eating fully-grown, let alone feral pigeons, is not), cats, dogs and rats too on the menu. Almost all the animals from the zoo were also eaten: zebras, ostriches, elephant... These trials and others the Parisians suffered are in no small part one of the origins of the ParisCommune.

* During the Siege of Paris by the Prussians in 1871, most of the population had to resort to living rats kept in cages and sold on open air markets to get meat. Usually the rodent would be killed minutes after the buying by a many of the city's finest restaurants put cat, pigeon, and rat on the menu. Almost all the animals from the zoo were eaten: zebras, ostriches, elephant...

* The related capybara -- the largest rodent in the world -- was historically sought out by European colonists in South America for its meat. Why? Because, according to popular anecdote, based on the description they sent to UsefulNotes/ThePope, the semi-aquatic capybara was certified as a "fish" for the purposes of Lenten fasting. You can bet they [[LoopholeAbuse loved that opportunity to eat red meat]] during Lent, even if it did come from a giant rat...
** This was perfectly in line with the stance already taken by the Papacy for most of the MiddleAges over another big semi-aquatic rodent, i.e. the European beaver. More understandable even, given beavers have a scaley tail.

* During the Siege of Paris by the Prussians in 1871, many of the city's finest restaurants put cat, pigeon, and rat on the menu. Even the zoo elephants were eaten.

* ''Literature/{{Domina}}'': Rat and dog meat are both common sources for restaurants, and inexperienced monster slayers can usually get a job hunting them. Of course, in this city, the rats are [[RodentOfUnusualSize the size of dogs]], and the dogs are [[OurVampiresAreDifferent technically vampires]].

* With its wide variety of food, ''VideoGame/RuneScape'' has a few examples of traditional vermin used for food.
** The giant rats are so big you can carve ''steaks'' off of them, which function similarly to beef or bear steaks in recipes.
** In Karamja, you can spit-roast jungle spiders, which the locals consider a delicacy due to the difficulty of killing them. There's an achievement for cooking and eating one.
** Dorgesh-Kaan is deep underground, so cave goblin cuisine tends to revolve around cave fauna. Street food vendors can be seen shilling bat shishkabob, slime soup, frog burgers, cave eel sushi, fried wall-beast fingers, etc.
** Gnomes are also not averse to cooking with swamp frogs or earthworms. [[SubvertedTrope However, their cuisine is highly prized by humans and elves]].
* In ''VideoGame/{{Blood}}'', Caleb comes across a fryer in an early level with a sign advertising "Rat Dogs". Pressing the "use" button causes him to quip "Mmmmm! Ratburgers!" In another level, however, he can find a grilled rat on a stove, where attempting to use it will cause him to claim he's not ''that'' hungry.

* ''Franchise/TheElderScrolls'':
** Throughout the series, RodentsOfUnusualSize are found as low-level enemies. Given the series' propensity for OrganDrops, these giant rats typically drop body parts (including meat) which can then be consumed by the PlayerCharacter or used as an alchemical ingredient in potion-making.
** [[OurGoblinsAreDifferent Goblins]] are known to farm Tamriel's giant rats as a food source. One tribe in High Rock even had the name "Ratfarmer Tribe." ''[[VideoGame/TheElderScrollsIVOblivion Oblivion]]'' even has a special class of Goblins specifically called "rat farmers."

* Several species of wild rat are eaten in Africa and Asia as bush meat.
--> "Bwana, they're ''delicious'' roasted!" -- opening line of "Jungle Doctor on the Hop", overlapping with ''Literature''.
* Subverted by stuffed dormice, which were a coveted delicacy in ancient Rome and other cultures.
* Ancient Egyptians would also typically eat mice and rats caught in traps. They even used non lethal traps so they could be properly fattened up.
* Rats were considered standard fare for the PluckyMiddie in the age of WoodenShipsAndIronMen. Sailors called them "blockade mutton."

* Rats (and we are talking about the species known for being pests, not "[[CallASmeerpARabbit smeerps]]") are commonly eaten in some parts of China and India, but they are often farm-raised rather than taken off the streets. Clans of Indian rat-catchers, who are treated as outcasts due to the squalid nature of their work, have been known to resort to this trope to reduce expenses on food and thus afford a good education, and better life, for their kids.

* Some projects are underway introducing rodents and similar animals as livestock to impoverished third-world countries, since they can live on relatively little and [[ExplosiveBreeder breed like mice]], providing an easy source of meat and [[ToiletHumor garden fertilizer]]. This is, after all, exactly why guinea pigs and rabbits were domesticated in the first place; both rabbits (in the Old World) and guinea pigs (in South America) produce lots of meat at low cost, and guinea pigs in particular are the primary target of the aforementioned efforts to expand meat production in poor countries.

* The [[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nutria#Control_efforts nutria]] is a large rodent, native to South America and an invasive pest to North American wetlands, with bounties offered for harvesting them. State and local government have campaigned to create a market for their meat, but with limited success, so we can't expect them in restaurants soon. But they are a viable food option for residents of the poor, rural swamp counties and parishes, and yield a good deal more meat per head than rats.

* The annual [[http://www.wildfoods.co.nz/ Wild Foods Festival]], held in New Zealand's West Coast region, features this among its edible fare.

* Online tutorials exist for farming mealworms (darkling beetle grubs) for culinary use at home. Not as unlikely as it may seem, since mealworms are already commercially available as exotic pet food and fishing bait. They're usually described as having the texture of shrimp and a mildly nutty flavor. Media portrayal of people eating "maggots" or "worms" may actually be mealworms since reporters are not entomologists.
* [[CockroachesWillRuleTheEarth Cockroaches and their larvae]] are eaten as food in some parts of the world, since they are easy to farm in small spaces and will eat plant matter that would otherwise be thrown away as waste. Cooked, they are described as crispy on the outside and tasting like cottage cheese on the inside.

EatThat applies if the eating is done to win a bet or game show rather than survive. May be inverted when a SqueakingCarpet or RodentsOfUnusualSize are involved. Usually an alternative to EatTheDog, another way to showcase characters' famished need to eat whatever they can get... although if it's a ''pet'' rat that gets eaten, the two can overlap.

* In a RealLife variant blending this trope with EatTheDog, some poor Italians during World War II were forced to eat cats, whether strays or pets, in order to survive. In particular, people from Vicenza are still mockingly called "Magnagati" (Cat Eaters) at times.

* Many people in America ate cicadas when a huge brood of them emerged in 2021 due to the Covid-19 pandemic and economic troubles.