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Urumiit or uruniit (Inuktitut syllabics: ᐅᕈᓅᑦ, uruniit; Greenlandic: urumiit) is a term used by native Inuit in Greenland and the Canadian High Arctic to refer to the feces of the rock ptarmigan ( Lagopus muta) and the willow ptarmigan ( Lagopus lagopus), which are considered a delicacy in Inuit cuisine. The droppings are collected when they have dried out during the winter months (fresh droppings in the summer are thought to be unpleasant to eat), a time in which food sources are scarce, especially on land, so the pre-digested willow and birch plant matter in ptarmigan scat provides a much needed source of nutrition in a harsh environment. One ptarmigan may defecate as many as 50 times in one spot, so urumiit is very plentiful and easy to gather. The pellet-shaped droppings are generally cooked in Rancidification Blubber before eating; sometimes mixed with seal or ptarmigan meat or blood. Historically in some areas, the meat cooked with urumiit is prepared by being Premastication by the women of a household. The smell of cooked urumiit in rancid fat has been compared to that of Gorgonzola cheese. It has been cited as a dish which non-Inuit are particularly likely to find disgusting, and as an example of how much taste in food can vary between cultural contexts.
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