A Nigerian man has narrated how he came upon a huge blessing when he discovered that a colony of giant rats lived in a corner of his compound.
According to the man who didn’t reveal his name, he noticed the den of rats when he was trying to install a mosquito net on his window.
He said a family of five rats lived in the den but he was only able to capture four. He said the last one, who he suspected to be the “father”, refused to come out.
He then went ahead to share in detail how he put the rats to good use.
1. Here are the captured rats:
2. He roasted the rats
3. He had them cut into small pieces and washed.
4. He used the rat meat in egusi soup
5. The soup will be taken to its final destination (stomach) with wraps of fufu.
African giant rats (Cricetomys gambianus) are commonly eaten as bushmeat in many parts of Nigeria. Some people, however, consider it taboo and would never touch it. There are still questions about the safety of consuming rat meat, especially when you consider that rats feed on a lot of waste materials.
But many Nigerians do not see giant rats the same way as ordinary house rats. And biology appears to support this belief because the Cricetomys order (where the African giant pouched rat belongs) are never classified as true rats. Feeding behaviour is also remarkably different.
Giant rat meat is less valued than meat from the greater cane rat or grasscutter which commands more bushmeat appeal. But locals also say the giant rats taste equally great.
The giant rat is known as ewi in Igbo language while the grasscutter or cane rat is called nchi.
Check this link for a comprehensive list of what different animals are called in the Igbo language.
