Kopi Luwak, also known as civet, monkey or cat poop coffee, is a well known delicacy originating from the Indonesian islands. Coffee berries are eaten and then excreted by the Asian Palm Civet. The chemical processes of semi-digestion removes all bitter tastes from the coffee beans, which are then washed, dried and used to make an aromatic coffee which can retail for hundreds of dollars per pound.
Less well known is a similar treatment that it is claimed can be applied to the durian fruit. Recent reports in the Malaysian New Straits Times claim that timber tycoons in the area are paying up to $385 each for durian fruits found in elephant dung. Like kopi luwak, the fruit remains undigested but with all traces of bitterness gone. In the durian fruit’s case, the highly unpleasant smell is also removed.
Elephant dung durian fruit a new rare food aphrodisiac
The merits of durian fruit have long been the subject of intense debate. This large, thorny south east Asian “King of Fruits” has a foul odour but a taste variously described from heavenly to barely tolerable. It is now claimed that passing through an elephant’s digestive tract can convert this flawed genius of a fruit into a new gastronomic delicacy.
Naturalist Vincent Chow addressed the Malaysia Nature Society in Kuala Lumpur in September 2010 to tell them of a new source of income for the Orang Asli (Malay tribesmen). They follow elephants that have been observed eating durian fruit whole and wait hours for them to eventually excrete the fruit.
“Their passage through the animal’s digestive tract ripens the fruits, and the result is delicious beyond description,” said Chow, adding “The tycoons order them in advance...many wealthy people regard it as the most delicious and expensive aphrodisiac in the jungle.”
The process also removes the foul smell of the durian fruit, said to be similar to human excrement. The fruit’s off-putting odour, contrasting with its more delicate taste, has often led people to question whether eating durian fruits is healthy. Durian fruits found in elephant dung have, in contrast, “a fragrant aroma”, according to Chow.
Is elephant dung durian fruit the new kopi luwak?
Food scientists at the University of Guelph in Ontario, Canada, have researched the effects of partial digestion of coffee berries by palm civets. They found that although the beans remain undigested, some digestive enzymes seep into them, altering the proteins in the beans and causing an improvement in flavour. They also found the beans began to germinate, and this malting process also reduced bitterness.
No such similar studies have been carried out on durian fruits found in elephant dung. However it seems the same processes may be at work. If so, this may be the second known food item in the world consumed by humans in the form of faeces.
World’s weirdest foods – are poop coffee and dung fruit disgusting?
Eating fecal foods may not be as disgusting as it sounds. The beans excreted by the civet cat are washed, sun dried, roasted and brewed. The Canadian research study carried out by Massimo Marcone found that levels of harmful organisms remaining after this process were insignificant.
Vincent Chow explains that elephant dung itself is not offensive, “Because elephants are herbivores, their faeces have no foul odour, in fact they smell like tea.” He also states, “The durian fruits remain clean and hygienic as no dirt or bacteria can penetrate their hard and fibrous husk while they are inside the elephant.”
There are already internet outlets for the world’s most expensive coffee, known as kopi luwak, or civet, cat or monkey poop coffee. Perhaps before long rare elephant dung durian fruits will be the new internet gastronomic gift sensation.
Sources:
New Straits Times
Marcone, Massimo, Food Research International, Volume 37, Issue 9
Cathy Anne Smith - Hello :) I wrote for Suite 101 until March 2011 and now publish my own fiction at Poems and Short Stories to Read Online .
