The culinary tradition of the indigenous Arctic community has long embraced the practice of the stomach – the consumption of prey’s intestines and their contents is an important source of nutrition. Among the Inuits in Greenland, the Rock Pattiga’s intestine is a valuable delicacy. Now, researchers have carefully studied the microbial community, which refers to the collection of microorganisms such as bacteria and fungi, living in specific environments within the intestines of Ptarmigan, to reveal its potential impact on human gut diversity and the broader culinary world.
PhD Candidate Mads Bjørnsen from Ilisimatusarfik – the University of Greenland and University of Copenhagen, supervised by Inuk microbiologist Aviaja Lyberth Hauptmann, along with an international team of researchers from the University of Copenhagen, the Basque Culinary Center, and the TABA Project, has conducted a detailed study into the microbial composition of the Greenlandic rock ptarmigan. Their findings, published in the journal PLOS One, highlight the various bacteria found in the gastrointestinal system of birds and examine how these microorganisms affect flavor and fermentation, a natural process in which microorganisms break down food substances to produce new flavors and nutrients.
Bjørnsen’s study used 16S rRRNA sequencing, a genetic method that inhibits bacteria by analyzing its ribosomal RNA. This allowed the researchers to characterize the microbial communities present in Ptarmigan crops, stomach and intestines, revealing a diverse and unique microbiome. This work shows that the gut has a unique and rich microbial community. It is worth noting that the intestine contains a large number of bacteria commonly found in the digestive system, which is known to play a role in digestive health. Additionally, the researchers made the garden with ptarmigan meat and patiya sausage, a fermented sauce traditionally made from fish. The results show that by using ptarmigan in the garden, gut bacteria become part of the garden fermentation process and increase the diversity of microorganisms in the fermented sauce. This suggests that fermentation can serve as a way to preserve and transfer food bacterial diversity associated with the intestines of edible animals.
“Our findings suggest that flowers made from the ptarmigan gut exhibit different flavors and microbial components found in the intestinal intestine and intestine,” said Mads Bjørnsen. “This highlights the potential role of fermented products in mediating food microbial diversity associated with indigenous food practices.”
The implications of this study go beyond Inuit cuisine. As modern diets turn to industrialized food production, people’s loss of various beneficial bacteria in the human intestine has attracted people’s attention. The study shows that incorporating fermented foods, such as ptarmigan garum, into contemporary diets may be a way to restore some of the lost diversity. In addition, it provides information on how the gut microbial community of wild animals is composed of a variety of microorganisms that help digestion and overall health, which can help human diet microorganisms through food consumption.
In a broader context, the study highlights the importance of understanding microbial diversity in various food systems. The results show how traditional cooking practices, such as eating animal guts, can contribute valuable to nutrition and food. By preserving these microbial communities through fermentation, a natural process in which microorganisms break down food substances to create new flavors and preserve food, Indigenous knowledge can help shape global innovation and health-conscious culinary trends.
Journal Reference
BjørnsenMB, Rodríguez Valerón N, Prado Vásquez D, Merino Velasco E, Hansen AJ, Hauptmann AL. “Microbiome in the intestine of Ptarmigan – Inuit delicacies and their potential in popular cuisine.” Plos One, 2024; 19(12):E0305317. doi:
