“Famine Food” or Delicacy?

The consumption of tanajuras in the Northeast of Brazil

Abstract

In the north-east of Brazil, tanajuras, the queens of the Atta ants, have been eaten since the 16^th century. This region has suffered numerous droughts over the years, forcing part of its population to emigrate. It is still considered the poorest in Brazil, despite recent changes, such as the development of tourism and wind power energy. Based on fieldwork carried out in Rio Grande do Norte, particularly in Natal, and in the interior of Pernambuco, in Buíque, we will analyze how, in a general context of prejudice about the Northeast, these ants are seen as 'poor people's food' or 'indigenous food'. Many people, especially in the cities, believe that they are eaten out of necessity. Most of the people interviewed denied eating tanajuras, and some said they had only ever eaten them as children. However, when tanajuras fly out of the nests to mate, at the beginning of the rainy season, people catch them. In Buíque, where anthills abound, there are passionate collectors and consumers. They sell part of their harvest to Pernambucans from the interior who emigrated to Recife or northeasterners who have moved to the southeast of the country. Tanajuras are definitely not a famine food, but a delicacy.