A unique harvest is under way in the rice fields of Cambodia where tens of thousands of wild rats are being trapped alive each day to feed a growing export market for the meat of rural rodents. Popularly considered a disease-carrying nuisance in many societies, the rice field rats, Rattus argentiventer, of this small South-East Asian nation are considered a healthy delicacy due to their free-range lifestyle and largely organic […]

It seems that barely a day goes by in China without news of yet another food safety scandal. But the latest case – even by Chinese standards – was truly stomach-churning. Hundreds of people were arrested after passing off rat meat as lamb. Perhaps, unsurprisingly, the scandal has given rise to a round of stories about rodents. I heard one anecdote about a restaurant in southern China that serves up […]