North Korea is promoting pigeon meat as a gourmet dish. Analysts reported on Tuesday that this trend aligns with a broader push for diversifying protein sources in everyday life. This initiative emphasizes raising small poultry, improving nutritional management, and implementing scientific agricultural techniques amidst ongoing food shortages.
A video shared by a Russian influencer who visited Pyongyang last month revealed a restaurant menu featuring pigeon dishes. The establishment reportedly offers various pigeon-based meals, including fried pigeon.
North Korea has been internally promoting pigeon meat as a nutritious and restorative food ingredient through various media channels. There are also accounts of quail, pheasant, and pigeon dishes being offered as special meals in some Pyongyang restaurants. A North Korean defector explained that there was propaganda claiming that pigeon meat is beneficial for health. Unlike in South Korea, where people might eat pigeons found on the streets, these are specifically raised for consumption.
The consumption of pigeon meat is interpreted as a response to food shortages and protein deficiencies. North Korea has consistently encouraged the raising of small livestock and poultry, including rabbits, quails, ducks, and goats. Efforts to establish a self-sufficient protein system have been observed in schools, military units, and cooperative farms. These animals are advantageous because they can be raised in small spaces with lower feed costs compared to larger livestock.
Rabbits, in particular, are favored for their high reproductive rates. North Korea promotes rabbit breeding not only in households but also in workplaces as part of a rear support initiative. Rabbits are considered efficient livestock, as their meat is used for food and their hides are used to produce consumer goods.
Recently, North Korea has been instructing various sectors through state-run media to focus on nutritional management and scientific agricultural practices. This effort emphasizes agricultural science, greenhouse cultivation, and the development of new crop varieties in an attempt to mitigate food insecurity.
Throughout this year, North Korea has continued to stress an agricultural revolution driven by science and technology, urging increased production. However, some analysts suggest that North Korea is combining health and nutrition issues with scientific rhetoric to create the illusion of improving conditions, possibly to mask ongoing protein supply instability.