Beaver butt secretion good for baked goods, sweets


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The Swedish National Food Agency (Livsmedelsverket) has confirmed that anal secretions from the beaver can be used to provide a taste similar to vanilla in baked goods and sweets. :|

Information that beaver bottoms can be a source of vanilla aroma, in the form of Castoreum, have been circulating on the internet recently and the agency has now confirmed that there is substance to the secretions.

"Natural aromas can be extracts from plants, fungi, and in some cases animals. The labelling provisions do not require that the kind of flavour is indicated, with the exception of coffee and quinine," Ulla Beckman Sundh at the agency said.

Vanilla flavour, it has been established, is not only derived from the vanilla bean. It can also come from conifer trees, or indeed from the anal passage of a beaver.

Beckman Sundh however questioned whether the beaver is likely to become a common a source of flavouring for baked goods, sweets, soft drinks and other items.

"As far as I know the beaver is not an animal which is bred, so supply is not that great," she said.

The beaver population was wiped out in Sweden in the 19th century due to the popularity of castoreum which was then used in natural medicines. Following the import of animals from Norway in the 1920s, the population has grown to around 100,000.

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Beckman Sundh however questioned whether the beaver is likely to become a common a source of flavouring for baked goods, sweets, soft drinks and other items.

 

One can surely hope not.

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My thoughts exactly... how in the world was this discovered in the first place... not a pleasant thought...

 

I've wondered the same about milk! Who was the first person to look at a cow and think "I'm going to drink whatever comes out of those dangly things"

 

I'm just glad it wasn't a bull! :p

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Nothing new, beaver secretion has been popular in canada for decades, not very common here in the states, but its a growing trend since vanilla extract is becoming more expensive

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Vanilla flavour, it has been established, is not only derived from the vanilla bean. It can also come from conifer trees, or indeed from the anal passage of a beaver.

The beaver population was wiped out in Sweden in the 19th century due to the popularity of castoreum which was then used in natural medicines. Following the import of animals from Norway in the 1920s, the population has grown to around 100,000.

I vote for conifer trees.

I can already see a huge warehouse with 1000s of beavers dangling ass up while large machines pump secretions out of their rectums. I feel so sorry for the beavers that this was discovered.

On a side note, I would have guessed that the flavor would have been more chocolaty... Interesting :)

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There are tons of stuff that comes from out of animals. Honey is vomit of bees, silk is from worms/spiders, and they make a special type of nutty tea out of panda **** in China. The panda **** works well, because the pandas food only gets digested about 40% of the way, and so leafs/bamboo/etc comes out not totally spoiled.

 

And technicaly, we could eat **** if we irradiated it. :)

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