5 Types Of Meat Most Nigerians Would Never Eat

If not because of sapa and its culture bending activities, what’s a decent Nigerian meal without a couple of good-looking obstacles? I’m talking about meat, the good old protein. 

Eating meat is so entrenched in our culture that some people cannot eat food without meat. Who knows? Maybe their ancestors were hunters. Some cultures even reserve certain meat types based on roles or specific gender. 

While Nigerians enjoy eating meat and can be quite adventurous, we definitely draw the line when it comes to certain types of meat. This reservation has little or nothing to do with wildlife reserves. It is more about our personal sentiments and culture. Here are some of them:

Monkey Meat 

While monkey meat, popularly called bushmeat alongside other animals’ meat like bats and rodents, might be a delicacy in some parts of Africa, it is more or less considered 

 a sacrilege in some parts of Nigeria. Monkeys are revered, as they are believed to be man’s distant cousin in the animal kingdom and some ancestors could choose to be reincarnated as monkeys and since you don’t want to end up killing the “ancestors,” it’s best to avoid the monkeys. 

In fact, in some places like Orlu in Imo State, if you killed a monkey by mistake or on purpose, you would have to bury it like a human; performing all the burial rites coupled with the mourners. 

People from this part of Nigeria treat the monkeys as sacred and make efforts to keep them safe from poachers.

Snake Meat

Ever wondered what snake meat tastes like? Some say it tastes like fish or chicken….it doesn’t matter.  What I find puzzling is that, of all the options of meat available, why would anyone settle for snake meat?  

Some Nigerians wouldn’t even touch a dead snake with a long pole not to talk of eating snake meat. There are loads of rumours around eating snake meat. In case you haven’t heard some, here you go: 

Some people say the snake’s venom would be released into the meat and would end up poisoning the eater, some say you can’t avoid the bone and it’s as deadly as the venom once it gets stuck in your fingers or your throat, others even say the snake‘s head never really dies and is just waiting for the right moment to attack… 

Let’s just say, we enjoy being alive more than the pleasure of some strange meat.  Plus, it is also forbidden in some parts of Nigeria to display snake meat for sale in a public market.

Vulture Meat

Nothing screams abomination like feasting on a vulture’s meat. Do humans eat that? Definitely not Nigerians! 

Vultures are synonymous with death (at least, that’s what we think of them in Nigeria) and trust me, no Nigerian is interested in eating death, not even for bragging rights. It’s like eating the forbidden fruit.

In fact, if you present a Nigerian with vulture meat in a meal, that might be the end of whatever relationship they have with you. It’s that serious. We don’t like what we hate. 

Cat Meat 

I don’t know what cat meat tastes like and I guess I’ll never know. That’s one of the true blessings of being a Nigerian. 

In other parts of the world, cats are seen as pets but here in Nigeria, they are more than pets. Most people attach this undertone or sentiment of spirituality to cats: they’re like the epitome of witchcraft and as such, no one wants to make a meal out of it. I’d rather become a vegetarian.

 A cat can hunt but it is an unspoken rule not to hunt cats. And by that, I don’t mean the larger members of the cat family, just cats. 

Pork  

In areas of Nigeria predominantly occupied by Muslims, it is forbidden to keep pigs whether as pets, for livelihood or for food. They’re regarded as unclean animals. It is believed that having them around or eating their meat would make you unclean. 

Some Christians also share the same sentiment against pork meat based on their religious beliefs as well. These Nigerians go through a lifetime without knowing the taste of pork.

I’m sure there are several types of meat that Nigerians would never consider eating that didn’t make this list. You can include it in our “Food and Drinks“ community on Fusion. Let’s keep the conversation going.