Eskimos, a group of people who live in the Arctic. They used to make a living by fishing and hunting at sea. Their culture is very rich and diverse, with dancing, singing and other forms of celebration of different occasions and events, as well as many beautiful toys and decorations made from materials such as seal mane, ivory and bone.
Their awareness of the environment is also very special, developing a unique understanding and philosophy of survival from traditional beliefs. The food culture of the Eskimos is very unique and very different from ordinary people in terms of ingredients, tastes and environment.
The Eskimos mainly source their ingredients from the sea, such as seals, whales, salmon, Arctic shrimp, etc., and rarely from land. They use sea fishing, hunting and fishing, and this lifestyle has also created their very unique eating habits.
For example, they prefer to eat raw fish or semi-raw meat dishes so that they can preserve the necessary vitamins and nutrients. In addition, to infuse more fat, they even eat the meat of raw marine mammals, such as walruses and dolphins.
First, the eating habits of Eskimos
Pickled puffins are their specialty, although it smells worse than canned herring. This way of fermenting and making food requires the local climate, and Tibetans make yak jerky, which is directly killed yak meat and put it on a stone to dry. Do not wash, do not put salt.
This kind of yak jerky cannot be made in the plains, and it directly stinks off the meat. In other words, this yak jerky is a bit fishy, but it tastes good, it depends on everyone. Some people are not used to it, others find it delicious. It's like the dark dish of houttuynia.
The main food of the Eskimos is the meat and fat of whales, seals, sea lions, polar bears, fish, and seabirds. Fat is an important part of their diet because their body needs enough fat to withstand the cold environment.
These foods are rich in fat and vitamin A. Such a diet is caused by the living environment, green food does not exist in the ice and snow, they eat high-fat food is also in line with the needs of the human body, people living in high latitudes have the habit of high-fat diet, just like Russians eat pig fat.
Far Eastern Yakuts eat sheep's tail oil, Northern Danes eat seal fat, are unique eating habits formed to resist cold weather, Eskimos also eat plants, mainly berries and lichen moss. These plants are also rich in vitamins and minerals that help them stay healthy.
In addition, they use the intestines and stomachs of seals and other marine mammals to make casings and saturated fatty acids, items that are also part of their food chain.
To store food, they are stored in an ice cellar. In addition, they use animal parts such as bone and leather to make containers and tools.
The Eskimos have a unique diet, dominated by marine life and low-temperature wildlife, and use a variety of methods to keep food fresh and edible.
Second, the production method of pickled puffin
The Eskimos, indigenous to the Arctic, live in months of extreme cold winters with few plants to grow, so they rely mainly on hunting and fishing for their livelihoods. Among them, puffins are one of their main fishing objects, and pickled puffins are one of the common storage methods used by Eskimos.
Generally, they usually use raw or already cooled puffins for pickling to ensure their freshness and hygienic safety. During the production process, it is usually necessary to remove the internal organs of the puffin and wash them clean. They then make a marinade, usually a mixture of brine, sugar, and spices.
Then pour it into a container and put the puffins in it, plus plenty of salt water and spices. Next, they seal the container and bring it to room temperature to allow it to be marinated. The time it takes to marinate usually varies depending on the flavor of making it, but Eskimos usually choose days or weeks.
After pickling, the puffin has a unique taste, with a rich salty taste and aroma. But many people find the taste hard to accept. Some people like to consume it raw, while others prefer to bake it. Either way, you can feel the unique taste of the puffin pickled.
Why Eskimos like to eat pickled puffins
The Eskimos are a sea-dwelling people, living by hunting, living in harsh environmental conditions and limited resources.
As a result, they developed a rich and diverse range of food making skills. Turn the creatures of the sea into delicious food, of which pickled puffins are one of their traditional foods.
First, puffins are a rich source of food in the Arctic. Puffins are abundant and delicious, and are one of the favorite foods of the Eskimos, which can be preserved for a long time after pickling, suitable for the needs of sea life.
Even in the extreme cold of winter, Eskimos can use puffins to replenish energy, maintain body temperature, and maintain the normal functioning of body functions.
Secondly, puffins have good nutritional value. Puffins are sea birds that often roam the sea and are rich in proteins, fats and trace elements and other nutrients needed by the human body.
Then, pickled puffins provided convenience for the Eskimos. Saving Eskimos from starvation due to lack of food. For a long time at sea, the Eskimos often used pickled puffins kept in fur bags and under the ice as supplies so that they could be eaten at any time.
The life of Eskimos is full of hardships and challenges. Their lives are inextricably linked to the harsh environment within the Arctic Circle, and they need to survive cold and extreme weather conditions. To combat the extreme cold, they used animal skins and ice to build tents and houses, and living, kitchen, and religious activities were generally carried out in the same building.
Their diet consists mainly of seals, fish and other seafood, obtained through fishing, hunting and gathering seafood. They use a variety of unique tools, such as bone and stone tools for hunting and cutting ice and snow
This traditional food plays an important role in the daily life of the Eskimos, not only to meet the basic physiological needs, but also to condense their survival wisdom and inherit cultural inheritance. Pickled puffins also have the benefit of allowing Eskimos to obtain protein and nutrients during the months of dark months, while also increasing taste variations and enriching the local food culture.
The technology and eating method of pickling puffins also contain rich cultural connotations, representing the Eskimos' understanding of the natural environment and the summary of survival wisdom. Under conditions of moderate hunger or extreme cold, the body self-regulates to make cells more vibrant.
But the real situation is that people who generally live in extreme conditions are likely to eat the last meal and not the next meal, so they all advocate high-calorie fatty meat, isn't Inner Mongolia also based on beef and mutton as the main food? Now that the conditions are getting better and better, I personally think that this eating habit should be slowly eliminated.