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Human flesh is just like veal in taste, says American adventurer | One man, who set out to provide a detailed record of the societies that devour human flesh back in the 1920s and went so far as to taste it for himself, noted that it actually tastes “just like veal”. American adventurer William Buehler Seabrook wrote of his experiences in his book ‘Jungle Ways’ published in 1931. The account follows his travels in West Africa, where he spent time with the Guero people, and joined them as they feasted on human meat. The author observed that the raw flesh looked like beef but less red and with pale yellow fat. Once cooked it turned grey and smelled like beef. “It was so nearly like good, fully developed veal that I think no person with a palate of ordinary, normal sensitiveness could distinguish it from veal,”
the Daily Mail quoted him as writing. Seabrook’s account is regarded as unreliable
by many, because he later confessed Guero tribesmen refused to let him take part
in their tradition - bizarrely claiming he made up for the disappointment by obtaining
the body of a dead hospital patient in France and cooking it on a spit. But experts
regard his description as the most useful - because most commentaries on cannibalism
come from the criminally insane and are often contradictory. German killer Armin
Meiwes insisted human flesh tastes like pork, “but a little bit more bitter, stronger.”
While Japanese cannibal Issei Sagawa described it as “tender and soft” like tuna.
The survivors of the 1970 Andes plane crash, portrayed in the movie Alive, were
forced to eat their fellow passengers to survive - but insist in their accounts
the frozen flesh was flavourless. Cannibalism is rare and is not illegal in most
countries. People who eat human flesh are usually charged with crimes not relating
to cannibalism, such as murder or desecration of a body. The Korowai - an ethnic
group of about 3,000 people in New Guinea - are one of very few tribes still believed
to eat human flesh as a cultural practice. It is also still known to be practised
as a ritual and in war in various Melanesian tribes. Melanesia is an island region
immediately north and northeast of Australia. “When I ate my first piece, it
had no taste. I forced myself to swallow - without guilt. I was eating to live,”
survivor Nando Parrado said. Those who have tried to unearth the truth about the
taste of human flesh point out the flavour is likely to vary - based on the age
of the victim, the body part eaten and the method of cooking. “Cannibals have
told anthropologists that human meat is sweet, bitter, tender, tough, and fatty.
The variation may result from disparate styles of cookery,” an article on Slate.com
said. “Many tribes eat the meat of deceased humans only after it has rotted slightly.
Roasting and stewing seem to predominate, with many tribes throwing in hot peppers
or other seasonings. “Rudy Eugene, the attacker in Florida, ate his victim’s face. The
Swedish cannibal went for only the lips, while a Tokyo man reportedly cooked and
served his genitals to the highest bidders. “Cannibalistic tribes show a similar
diversity. Seabrook’s West African cannibals preferred the loin, rump, ribs, and
palms, which were considered especially tender. Cannibals in 19th century Fiji
reportedly preferred the heart, thigh, and upper arm. Other tribes apparently
held the breasts of young women in high esteem,” it added.
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