Mousefood or Anlleq is a native food highly prized by Yupik Eskimos on the Yukon-Kuskokwim Delta

Yukon-Kuskokwim Delta

The Yukon–Kuskokwim Delta is one of the largest river deltas in the world, roughly the size of Oregon. It is located where the Yukon and Kuskokwim rivers empty into the Bering Sea on the west coast of the U.S. state of Alaska. The delta, which mostly consists of tundra, is protected as part of the...

. It consists of the roots of various tundra plants which are cached by voles in underground burrows.

Types of Mousefood

'Raindrops' are the roots of Tall Cottongrass. These roots are less than an inch long and are shaped, as the name suggests, like a drop of water. They are eaten with seal oil or put in "bird soup"

'Eskimo Sweet Potatoes'are the roots of Hedysarum alpinum

Hedysarum alpinum

Hedysarum alpinum is a species of flowering plant in the legume family known by the common name alpine sweetvetch. It has a circumpolar distribution, occurring throughout the northern latitudes of the Northern Hemisphere...

. As the name suggests, these roots are somewhat sweet and are used in Eskimo Ice Cream

Akutaq

Akutaq or agutak , also known as Eskimo ice cream, is a common food in western Alaska, consisting of whipped fat mixed with berries, with optional additions such as fish and sugar...

Respect for Nature

Elders teach that when collecting mouse food, one should always leave half of the cache for the "mouse." They also recommend leaving a gift for the mouse - something that the mouse can eat.