A History of Pokemon As Food

The Pokemon series has a long history of its Pokemon either being eaten by other Pokemon as part of the natural food chain, or by humans themselves.

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Plenty of fictional universes with have unique and intriguing dishes, like the lembas from The Lord of the Rings. Much like other games, the Pokemon franchise has its own variety of food items. Whether it’s poffins for Pokemon or the anime’s famous “jelly donuts,” there are plenty of choices in the Pokemon universe for food.

However, some may not realize that there is another food staple in Pokemon: Pokemon themselves. A new trailer for New Pokemon Snap implies that Magikarp are eaten by other Pokemon. One scene shows a beached Magikarp plucked up by a Pidgeot, and another shows a Frillish dragging a paralyzed Magikarp deeper down in the ocean. While these events may be surprising to some, there is actually a long history of Pokemon as food through the franchise.

People Eating Pokemon

Forms of meat have been shown several times in the Pokemon anime before, as well as recent games like Pokemon Sword and Shield, like with the Spicy Sausage Curry. Where does the sausage come from? No one can say for sure, and the topic is usually skirted around. As it turns out, several Pokemon have been said to be eaten by humans. There are also some food-inspired Pokemon already, but ones like Vanillite aren’t explicitly said to be eaten by humans.

Perhaps one of the Pokemon with the longest history of being eaten is the Dopey Pokemon, Slowpoke. Apparently, the tail of a Slowpoke is popular as a food item. In Pokemon Gold and Silver, there was a plot line where Team Rocket stole Slowpokes in an effort to cut off their tails and sell them as a delicacy. While an abhorrent action on its own, it nonetheless became fact that people ate Slowpoke tails. By the time of Pokemon Sun and Moon, a new description revealed that Slowpoke tails simply fall off at times. At least this is a more friendly alternative to Team Rocket’s methods, especially since the Smoked-Tail Curry in Pokemon Sword and Shield clearly contains Slowpoke tails.

In the “So Near, Yet so Farfetch’d” episode of the anime, the titular Pokemon was revealed to have been eaten before. Ash’s Pokedex says that Farfetch’d makes for a delicious meal, especially when it’s cooked with its leek. Apparently, Farfetch’d were hunted so much that it made the species nearly extinct.

Interestingly enough, it seems that fish-type Pokemon make up a big category of the Pokemon that humans will eat. Sharpedo’s dorsal fins were a delicacy, and over-fishing brought the species to near extinction. The Pokedex entry for Seadra in Pokemon Silver says that its fins and bones are used in herbal medicine. In Pokemon Black 2 and White 2, Basculin are said to be “remarkably tasty.” Pokemon Moon says that Crabrawler’s pincers fall off and “what little meat they contain is rich and delicious.” Like Crabrawler, Clauncher’s claws will occasionally fall off, and Pokemon Ultra Sun says the “meat of its claws is so delicious.” More recently, the new Sword and Shield Pokemon Barraskewda has “surprisingly tasty” flesh.

There are also plenty of Pokemon byproducts that are used in various food. Miltank produces milk, which is mentioned in both the game and anime, and Moomoo Milk in the games can be used as a healing item. Shuckle stores different berries in their shells, which eventually ferments into a juice that can be drank by humans or other Pokemon.

While some instances of people eating Pokemon are less horrifying that others, Sword and Shield might have a more concerning addition. The most recent generation of Pokemon introduced Appletun, a fun-looking Pokemon clearly inspired by apple pie. Appletun’s body is covered in sweet nectar, and “the skin on its back is especially yummy,” according to its Pokedex entry. Apparently, children used enjoy the skin on its back as a snack. Children peeling skin off an animal to munch on sounds horribly inhumane, but it seems like The Pokemon Company isn’t too worried about PETA nowadays.

Pokemon Eating Other Pokemon

While there are multiple Pokemon that have been eaten by humans, there are also several that are eaten by other Pokemon themselves. While many Pokemon can subside off man-made Pokemon food or natural berries and greens, there is no doubt a kind of food chain in the wild. Based on the recent New Pokemon Snap trailer mentioned earlier, it’s clear that Magikarp is very low on the food chain, especially compared to Pidgeot or Frillish. There are also a few other predator/prey relationships mentioned throughout the series, like Sharpedo to Wailmer, Lumineon to Staryu, or Cramorant to Arrokuda.

The fish-like Pokemon Wishiwashi is also said to be tasty, and has several predators such as Wingull, Dewgong, and Wailord. Cherubi has a little nutrient-rich ball that acts as a second head, which Starly try to peck off sometimes. Combee and Vespiqueen produce honey that gets eaten by other Pokemon. Some Grass-type Pokemon like Grotle and Tropius also grow edible nuts, berries, or fruit on their bodies that other Pokemon can enjoy, though it will sometimes taste bad to humans.

So, it is clear that there are a long history of Pokemon being eaten by humans or other Pokemon. It is a natural development for a fantasy word that replaces all animals with monster creatures. The wild Pokemon food chain makes total sense. However, it can be concerning that humans will occasinally eat Pokemon, especially in a series that pushes Pokemon and humans living in harmony and creating strong bonds together. In any case, different Pokemon being food has been established since the first games and the original Pokemon anime. It will be interesting to see if the trend continues in future games.

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