Youtube video of the preparation and eating of sannakji
Eating live animals is the practice of humans eating animals that are still alive. It is a traditional practice in many East Asian food cultures. Animals may also be eaten alive for shock value. Eating live animals, or parts of live animals, may be unlawful in certain jurisdictions under animal cruelty laws. Religious prohibitions on the eating of live animals by humans are also present in various world religions.
Practice
As a crime
In October 1963, a case was reported in Vitória de Santo Antão, Pernambuco, Brazil. A man named Antônio Pinto bought a donkey for three thousand cruzeiros. He then galloped with the animal and stopped at every bar he sighted to have a drink. Then, he bit on the animal's ear strongly enough to swallow it. He said that he had eaten the animal's ear as a "snack". Finally, he strangled the donkey with a cord.
In 2006 in Shelby County, Texas, 49-year-old Reggie Paul Fountain ate his pitbull puppy alive. He bit off the animal's ear and carried it around with him as he ran around his neighbourhood in his underwear, covered in blood, before he was restrained by police. He was arrested, and explained that he was on PCP and cocaine.
For shock value
Several television game shows such as Fear Factor, Survivor and I'm a Celebrity feature segments where contestants must eat live animals including spiders, cockroaches and grubs. On his show Man vs. Wild, host Bear Grylls is sometimes shown eating various insects alive. There have been calls to ban eating animals alive on these shows. A YouTube channel called "Food for Louis" shows Louis Cole eating live animals.
The swallowing of live goldfish was sometimes practiced within the United States.
Traditional food
Fish
In Japan, Ikizukuri ("prepared alive") is the preparation of sashimi ("pierced food") made from live seafood. The most popular sea animal used in ikizukuri is fish but octopus is typically the only species that is still moving on the plate.
Another fish dish invented by a Taiwanese chef from Chiayi, is called Yin Yang fish (also dead-and-alive fish) in which the fish's body (but not the head) is rapidly deep-fried and served while the head is still fresh and moving. It is prepared extremely quickly, with care not to damage the internal organs, so that the fish can remain alive for thirty minutes.
In an interview, celebrity chef Raymond Blanc stated that in Japan, he had eaten live eels. He was advised to add vinegar and sake, which made them jump around, and then swallowed them whole.
Frog
In 2012, a video showing a woman in Japan eating a live frog was posted on YouTube and went viral. In the video, a live frog is seen stabbed alive, stripped of its skin, and its inedible innards removed to be served as fresh sashimi on an iced platter.
In 2007, a newspaper reported that a man from south east China claimed that eating live frogs for a month cured his intestinal problems. He also eats live mice and rats.
Andrew Zimmern of the Travel Channel's Bizarre Foods ate frog sashimi in restaurant seafood name Asadachi in Shinjuku. Though most of the frog is served dead (and raw), the meal begins by eating the frog's fresh, still-beating heart.
Snake
Consuming the beating heart and blood of live snakes has been a reported practice among some locals and tourists in certain parts of Vietnam, particularly Le Mat village in Hanoi. The practice was documented on Gordon's Great Escape when celebrity chef Gordon Ramsay swallowed the beating heart of a cobra at a Ho Chi Minh eatery. It was also consumed by celebrity chef Anthony Bourdain in the same city.
Octopus
In Korea, Sannakji is the preparation of live octopus that has been cut into small pieces or prepared whole, and served with its arms still squirming. The octopus from which the tentacles are cut is usually dead by the time of serving; however, the animal's highly innervated limbs continue to writhe due to continuing nerve activity.
Sea urchin
Sea urchins are prized as a delicacy in many places worldwide (particularly in Japan, France, South Korea, Chile, New Zealand, the Philippines, Italy, Spain, the Mediterranean, and North America) for their briny-flavoured gonads. The gonads are often eaten raw, such as in sushi (typically called uni). Some people prefer to eat them immediately after they are cut open. Scissors are often used to avoid the protective spines whilst cutting the animal open. The gonads do not move, even when taken from the live animal.
Shrimp
In China, drunken shrimp is a dish that can be served live, although it can also be prepared with dead shrimp. When served live, the shrimp, usually 10 per serving, are first doused in a strong liquor which makes them less likely to struggle while being swallowed and also creates a flavourful marinade. A plate is typically held over the bowl to prevent the shrimp from leaping out as they are much more active than when served as Odori ebi.
Odori ebi ("dancing shrimp") is a type of Japanese sashimi that contains young shrimp, usually only one individual per serving. The shrimp has its shell removed and sometimes its head as well. These can be deep fried and served alongside the rest of the shrimp, which is still moving its legs and antennae while being eaten. The shrimp only dies when chewed.
Oyster
Oysters are the most common animal eaten alive, as it is generally their state when served raw.
Ant
A chain of restaurants, based primarily in Copenhagen, serves a salad crawling with live ants. The ants are chilled so that they move slowly, and are supposed to taste like lemongrass.
Cockroach
Live cockroaches were eaten in a competition in Florida in 2012. The winner collapsed and died from asphyxia due to choking and aspiration of gastric contents.
Larva
One example of eating live larvae is the witchetty grub of Aboriginal Australian cuisine, which can be eaten alive and raw or cooked.
Casu marzu is a traditional Sardinian sheep milk cheese, notable for containing live insect larvae. It is found almost exclusively in Sardinia, Italy. Casu marzu goes beyond typical fermentation to a stage most would consider decomposition, brought about by the digestive action of the larvae of the cheese fly Piophila casei. These larvae are deliberately introduced to the cheese. The cheese received attention on Bizarre Foods with Andrew Zimmern. Zimmern described the taste of the cheese as "so ammoniated" that "...it scorches your tongue a bit." The cheese is known to leave an aftertaste for a duration of up to several hours. Similar milk cheeses notable for containing living insect larvae are produced in several Italian regions.
Effects
Eating live food, particularly in the context of consuming live animals or organisms, can have several disadvantages. Here are some of the potential drawbacks:
- Food Safety Concerns: Consuming live food increases the risk of foodborne illness and infections. Live food may harbor harmful bacteria, parasites, or viruses that can cause health issues if ingested.
- Ethical Considerations: Eating live animals raises ethical concerns regarding animal welfare and cruelty. It involves causing unnecessary harm and suffering to living creatures.
- Digestive Challenges: Live food can be more difficult to digest compared to cooked or processed food. This can strain the digestive system and potentially lead to digestive discomfort, such as stomach pain or diarrhea.
- Nutritional Imbalance: Live food may not provide a balanced nutritional profile. Depending on the specific organism consumed, it may lack essential nutrients or contain excessive amounts of certain substances that could be detrimental to health.
- Allergic Reactions: Some individuals may have allergic reactions to specific live food, such as certain insects or shellfish. These allergic reactions can range from mild discomfort to severe symptoms requiring medical attention.
- Legal Restrictions: In some jurisdictions, there are legal restrictions on the consumption of certain live food items due to health and safety concerns. It's important to be aware of and comply with local regulations regarding the consumption of live food.
Religious prohibitions
Judaism
According to the Talmud, the sixth Noahide Law (Hebrew: שבע מצוות בני נח Sheva mitzvot B'nei Noach, lit. "Seven Laws [of the] Children [of] Noah") sets out a moral and religious imperative not to eat of a live animal. The Tosefta contains more explicit language on the subject, stating not to eat "a limb torn from a living animal".
As a Noahide Law, this law is said to apply to all the "children of Noah"—that is, all of humanity—as a requirement to ensure a place in the World to Come (Olam Ha-Ba). The laws of Kashrut, on the other hand, set out additional regulations which are binding upon Jews only.
See also
- Eating live seafood
- Odorigui, Japanese term for consumption of live seafood while it is still moving
- Pain in animals
- Pain in invertebrates
- Goldfish swallowing, a school fad in 1930s American high schools and colleges
- Cruelty to animals