Bat as food

Bats as foodare eaten by people in some areas of North America,Asia, Africa, Pacific Rim countries,and some other cultures, including the United States,China,Vietnam, theSeychelles, thePhilippines,Indonesia,Palau,Thailand,andGuam.Half themegabat(fruit bat) species are hunted for food but only eight percent of the insectivorous bat species are.In Guam,Mariana fruit bats(Pteropus mariannus) are considered adelicacy.
Bats have likely been consumed as a food source since prehistoric times in theAsia-Pacificregion.Chronostratigraphicanalysis of archaeological sites indicate that bats could have been exploited as a food source since 74,000 years ago byHomo floresiensis. On tropical islands, hunting large fruit bats was a worthwhile expenditure for prehistoric hominins. These megabats could be easily captured in caves in large numbers, and processing effort was also minimal.
Bats have been hunted byAboriginal Australiansfor thousands of years, extending into modern times. Popular game species are theblack flying foxand thelittle red flying fox. In 1997, it was estimated that the Aboriginal people of theTop Endconsumed 180,000 flying foxes each year.
While it has been suggested that theTaínopeople of Puerto Rico consumed bat meat in pre-Columbian times, no bat bones have been documented in theirmiddenheaps, making it unlikely that bat meat was a substantial dietary component. No otherNew Worldcultures are thought to have hunted bats for meat, though bat bones have been identified in midden heaps on the Caribbean island ofSaba.
The consumption of bat meat in Europe has been scarce, not only because of repugnance, but also because of the size of European bats, which being all insectivores are also small.In the past it has been recorded the custom of the peasants of Costozza (in theprovince of Vicenza,Italy) to eat bats,especiallyhorseshoe bats.AfterWorld War IIthe bats of Costozza's caves were almost extinct "for the ruthless hunting that the natives make of them, at the time of the grape, in order to assimilate them with the most tasty little birds."In 1959 it was reported that "in some places [of Italy], for example in Liguria and Veneto regions, the bats are or were used as food."
In theTorahand in theBible, the book ofLeviticus(11:13–19) forbids consumption of bat: "These you shall detest among the birds; they shall not be eaten, they are an abomination: (...) the bat."
In theGeographicaofStraboit is described the city ofBorsippa(now Birs Nimrud inIraq), where there was a large number of bats captured by the inhabitants, who "salad them to eat them".In the sixteenth century Italian naturalistUlisse Aldrovandirefers in his treatiseOrnitologiathat bats have a white meat, edible, and excellent flavor.
At least 167 species of bats are hunted around the world, or about 13% of all bat species, for reasons including food, perceived medical value, for hide or teeth, or for sport.Some species are hunted for food more often than others: Half of all megabat species are hunted for food, in comparison to only eight percent of insectivorous species.A 2016 review documented hunting of bats for meat or traditional medicine in North Africa, Sub-Saharan Africa, Oceania, South America, East Asia, Southeast Asia, and West and Central Asia.In contrast, it recorded no species hunted for meat or traditional medicine in the Caribbean, Europe, North America,Mesoamerica, or North Asia.
At least 55 species of bat are hunted in Africa, with larger bats as the preferred targets, while small, insectivorous species are considered less desirable. Bat hunting is most prevalent in West and Central Africa.It has been estimated that 100,000 bats are sold annually in Ghana.In Southern Africa and East Africa, there is little to no hunting. The four species of bats hunted in Northern Africa are used for traditional medicine purposes, not for meat.
Abundant and larger-bodied species are more frequently consumed in Africa, including thestraw-coloured fruit bat,Franquet's epauletted fruit bat, theGambian epauletted fruit bat, thehammer-headed bat, andEgyptian fruit bat. Medium-sized bats like theAngolan rousetteandPeters's dwarf epauletted fruit batare also consumed, as well as small species like thelarge slit-faced bat,horseshoe bats, androundleaf bats.
Humans hunt 64 species of bats in Asia, though the intensity of hunting varies by region.In Southeast Asia, bats are widely hunted in ten of the eleven countries, excluding onlySingapore.About 17% of bat species are hunted in Southeast Asia, or 56 species.The Philippines have especially high levels of hunting, with a third of bat species in the Philippines subject to hunting despite legal protections such as thePhilippine Wildlife ActandPhilippine Cave Management Act, which are poorly enforced.In the Philippines, especiallyMayantoc, in the province ofTarlac, eating fruit bats as part of their regional cuisine is very common, locals went bat hunting and caught several dozens of bats in one trip, these cave creatures were skinned, beheaded, and de-winged; they were then gutted, chopped up, and stewed.In some Malaysian cities, bats are seen as a luxury meat.Back in 2001, it was reported that 7% of households in Thailand'sPhu Kheio Wildlife Sanctuaryate bat meat.Consumption is particularly intense inNorth Sulawesi, where locals eat flying fox meat at least once a month, with a tenfold increase in frequency near Christian holidays.
In South Asia, hunting bats for food occurs in Bangladesh by tribal groups, specifically targeting larger bat species.A 2017 survey of over 140 villages in Bangladesh found that bats were hunted in 49% of villages, with the majority of hunters (62%) using hunted bats for food and medicine. In contrast, 30% of hunters used hunted bats for food, but not medicine, while 17% used them for medicine, but not food.While bats are killed in India and Pakistan, consumption is reported to be infrequent and perceived medicinal uses are more common motives.A few studies though state that bat meat consumption is more common in certain parts of India such asthe Northeast,theAndaman and Nicobar Islands.
In East Asia, specifically southern China, bats are sometimes eaten and can be found in some markets.Specific bat species eaten in China include thecave nectar bat,Pomona roundleaf bat,Indian flying fox, andLeschenault's rousette.Additionally, thegreater short-nosed fruit batis hunted for medicine, but not food.Bat meat is not especially popular in China.According to a research conducted by Guansheng Ma, director of Nutrition and Gastronomy at the University of Beijing, "...eating bat meat is more than rare in China. It is actually unacceptable in Chinese culture."It has been contested whether or not theHuanan Seafood Wholesale Market, suspected as having ties with theCOVID-19outbreak, sold bat meat,where the meat is reportedly not a frequent food source in the city of Wuhan.Some media outlets, includingDaily MailandRT, promoted a video that showed a young Chinese woman eating a bat and suggested it was shot in Wuhan, but later it was confirmed that the footage was filmed by travelvloggerWang Mengyun in the island country ofPalauin 2016, to showcase local cuisine.International agencies pressured China to adopt legislation forbidding the hunting of bats and sale of bat meat following the early 2000sSARSoutbreak where hundreds of people died, though no such legislation was passed.All wildlife trade in China, including bat meat, was banned in January 2020 in response to thecoronavirus pandemicwhich originated in Wuhan.
Bats are occasionally eaten in North American cuisine.
Bats are regularly hunted and consumed inOceania, and are the only native land mammals of many isolated islands. About 23% of Oceania's bat species are hunted, or 40 species. Bat meat is considered a delicacy in the Cook Islands, Niue, Guam, the Mariana Islands, and Samoa. It is popularly consumed in Fiji, New Caledonia, and Vanuatu.
Though bat diversity in South America is especially high, bats are rarely consumed. Some indigenous peoples may consume bats, with theNambiquarapeople known to consume three species ofleaf-nosed bat. Live bats are sold in Bolivia for purported medicinal uses. Specifically, consuming the bats' blood is believed to treatepilepsy.A 2010 study documented that per month, 3,000 bats were sold in markets in four Bolivian cities. Species sold in these markets includeSeba's short-tailed bats,mouse-eared batsandcommon vampire bats.
In thePhilippines, especiallyMayantoc,Tarlac,locals eat a dish calledBat adobo. Locals catch and kill several dozen megabats per hunting trip; the bats are then skinned, beheaded, and de-winged before they are gutted, chopped, and stewed.Guavais used to tenderize the meat, which is later seasoned and sautéed with onions, garlic, and soy sauce—not much different from the usualPhilippine adobo.
Paniki is aMinahasandish fromNorth Sulawesi,Indonesia, made from fruit bats.Soups,stewsandcurriesusing bat meat are also prepared.
InPalau, bat soup is considered a delicacy.Fruit bats are used in a Palauan soup that includescoconut milk, spices and ginger.
Hot potmade with whole bat is available in some restaurants in southern China.
Bat stew is a stew prepared from various types of bats.Fruit batsare used in some versions of the dish.Estufa de morcegois a bat stew delicacy in thecuisine of São Tomé and Príncipethat is served on saints days and duringfiestas.
The 1999 version ofThe Oxford Companion to Foodstates that the flavor of fruit bats is similar to that of chicken, and that they are "clean animals living exclusively on fruit".Bats are prepared in several manners, such asgrilled,barbecued,deep fried, cooked in stews and instir frys.When deep fried, the entire bat may be cooked and consumed.
Detailed information of the nutritional and chemical composition of bat meat is not available as of 2012.In many developing countries, bushmeat, including bat meat, is considered a major nutritional resource, including formicronutrients.One study inMadagascarpredicted that the rate of childhoodanemiawould increase 29% if access to bushmeat, including bat meat, was restricted, predominantly affecting the poorest households who could not afford to purchase meat from domestic animals.
Bats are most vulnerable tooverhuntingin Indonesia, the Philippines, Malaysia, and islands of Oceania and the Indian Ocean. Bats are susceptible to overhunting as they have naturally low rates of reproduction and many species are highlycolonial, which makes it easier for them to be hunted in large numbers.Overhunting is believed to be the primary cause of extinction for thesmall Mauritian flying foxand theGuam flying fox.
It has been speculated that megabats may be thenatural reservoirofEbolavirus,though the evidence has been called "far from decisive".Due to the possible association between Ebola infection and "hunting, butchering and processing meat from infected animals", several West African countries banned bushmeat (including megabats) or issued warnings about it during the2013–2016 epidemic; many bans have since been lifted.Bats have been hypothesized as a possible origin of thesevere acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), which was first detected inWuhan, China, though the origin of the virus has yet to be fullyelucidated.Importantly, some people propagate the 'bat soup' idea in racist targeting of Asian people, and it is therefore imperative to recognize the lack of evidence regarding this theory.
Eating fruit bats is also linked to a neurological disease calledlytico-bodig disease.Paul Alan Coxfrom theHawaiian National Tropical Botanical GardeninKalaheo, andOliver SacksfromAlbert Einstein CollegeinNew York, found the bats consumed large quantities ofcycadseeds and appear to accumulate the toxins to dangerous levels in their meat.