When it comes to keeping our meals squeaky‑clean, we’ve got a whole industry devoted to it. Yet human curiosity sometimes nudges us toward flavors that originate from places most of us would rather avoid. In this roundup we explore ten daring delicacies—10 foods made from poop, vomit, or spit—that challenge our palate and our sense of disgust.
10 Foods Made From the Unexpected
1 Yan Wo
Described as “the caviar of the east” because of its lofty price tag and status as a prized delicacy in China, Yan Wo is actually the edible nest of the swiftlet—a small, swallow‑like bird. These birds construct their nests entirely from their own saliva, which hardens into a glossy, gelatinous structure that they use to shelter their eggs. Once the fledglings leave the nest, the saliva‑crafted home is harvested for human consumption.
The protein‑rich nests are prized for their purported health benefits and are featured in upscale soups, tonics, and even desserts. A decade ago, there were roughly 1,000 swiftlet farms; today that number has exploded to about 60,000, creating an industry valued at an estimated $5 billion.
If the idea of chewing on a lump of snot isn’t already enough to make you wince, consider this: when the nests are cooked in broth, their texture resembles gelatinous clumps of mucus, delivering a mouthfeel that many Western diners find unsettling.
2 Ambergris
This mysterious substance is an intestinal secretion produced in the digestive tract of the sperm whale. Often found floating on sea‑weed‑laden beaches, ambergris can command prices of around $29 per gram due to its rarity and versatility. While most famously used as a fixative in high‑end perfumery, chefs have also experimented with it in dishes such as ice‑cream, custard, and even specialty cocktails, where its ocean‑like aroma adds an exotic twist.
A common misconception is that ambergris is the whale’s vomit. In reality, the majority of ambergris is expelled as a fecal mass, not a vomited material. Its waxy, fragrant nature makes it a prized commodity for both scent‑makers and adventurous culinary artists.
3 Kuchikami No Sake
Long before the discovery of the mold Aspergillus oryzae that now ferments most sake, brewers relied on a far more… personal ingredient: human saliva. In the traditional method known as Kuchikami No Sake, or “Mouth‑Chewed Sake,” the maker would chew rice, chestnuts, or acorns, allowing enzymes in the saliva to break down starches into fermentable sugars.
After the chewed mash is spat back into a vessel, it undergoes the usual fermentation process, yielding a rice‑based spirit with a distinctive, slightly buttery character. Though the practice is rare today, a few artisanal producers still honor the ancient technique, offering a glimpse into the primal roots of Japanese brewing.
4 Baby Poop Sausages
Fermentation is the secret sauce behind many beloved cured meats, and a team of researchers decided to take that concept a step further. By isolating probiotic bacteria from the feces of 43 healthy infants, they cultivated a starter culture that could be introduced into traditional Spanish fuet, a dry pork sausage.
Six batches of fuet were produced using this baby‑derived probiotic blend. Professional tasters evaluated the results and reported that the flavor, aroma, and texture were indistinguishable from conventional fuet, suggesting that the infant‑sourced bacteria could safely enhance the nutritional profile without compromising taste.
5 Shellac
Shellac may sound like a high‑tech polymer, but it actually originates from a tiny insect known as the lac bug (Laccifer lacca Kerr). These insects excrete a resinous substance onto tree branches, which hardens into flaky “lac.” After harvesting, the raw lac is washed, filtered, and treated with sodium carbonate to remove acids and impurities, yielding a clear, glossy coating.
This purified bug secretion finds its way into a variety of foods, providing a shiny finish on coated candies, chocolates, and even waxed fresh fruit. Beyond the culinary world, shellac also serves as a food‑grade varnish for wood and other surfaces, making it a versatile, albeit slightly unsettling, ingredient.
6 Honey
Honeybees possess two stomachs: one for storing nectar and another that functions almost like a personal blender. After visiting up to 1,500 blossoms, a forager bee returns to the hive with a nectar‑laden second stomach that can weigh as much as the bee itself. The bee then regurgitates this nectar into the mouth of a worker bee, which repeats the process several times.
This repeated vomiting and enzymatic action partially digests the nectar, turning it into a thick, sugary syrup. The bees then fan away excess moisture, leaving behind the golden, viscous substance we know and love as honey—a natural example of insect‑produced vomit turned culinary treasure.
7 Traditional Chicha
Chicha, a corn‑based brew that dates back millennia in the Andes, once began its fermentation journey in a decidedly hands‑on fashion. Brewers would take fresh maize kernels, mash them on a flat surface, and then work the grains thoroughly with their tongues, saturating the starches with saliva. The enzymes in human spit break down the starches into fermentable sugars, kick‑starting the alcoholic fermentation.
After the saliva‑infused maize cakes dry, they are boiled and left to ferment, producing a mildly alcoholic beverage that played a central role in Incan and Aztec rituals. Modern commercial versions often skip the spit step, but a handful of traditional brewers still honor the ancient method, delivering a drink that is technically sterile by the time it reaches the glass.
8 Un, Kono Kuro
This Japanese stout, whose name plays on the word “unko” (the Japanese term for excrement), was launched as an April Fool’s novelty by the Kanagawa‑based brewery Sankt Gallen in 2013. What makes it truly unique is the coffee it uses: beans harvested from the digestive tracts of elephants at Thailand’s Golden Triangle Elephant Foundation. After the beans pass through the massive mammals, only a fraction survive the journey—roughly one kilogram of usable beans emerges from thirty‑three kilograms ingested.
Beer reviewers praised the brew’s complex profile, noting a lingering sweet‑bitter afterglow that seemed to echo the earthy notes of the elephant‑processed coffee. For $104, enthusiasts could acquire 35 grams of this rare coffee to experiment with their own micro‑brew creations.
9 Panda Dung Green Tea
Pandas are famous for their bamboo‑only diet, yet they only extract about 30 % of the plant’s nutrients, leaving their excrement packed with bamboo‑derived vitamins and minerals. An innovative tea entrepreneur named An Yashi, a lecturer at Sichuan University, decided to turn this waste into a premium fertilizer for a one‑of‑a‑kind green tea.
Yashi’s tea plants are cultivated using panda‑dung‑enriched compost, which he claims amplifies the tea’s anti‑cancer properties thanks to lingering bamboo compounds. The resulting blend commands a staggering price of $35,000 per pound, positioning it among the most exclusive teas on the market.
10 Kopi Luwak
Nearly 83 % of American adults sip coffee daily, and most of us assume those beans have only been harvested and roasted. Kopi Luwak, however, takes a detour through the gastrointestinal tract of the civet cat, a small mammal native to Southeast Asia. The civet selects the ripest coffee cherries, eats them whole, and then excretes the beans after they’ve passed through its digestive system.
The journey through the civet’s stomach reduces the beans’ acidity, protein content, and caffeine levels, resulting in a smoother, less bitter brew prized for its aromatic complexity. A quirky side note: civets also produce a pungent musk used in luxury perfumery, and historically traders would even taste the oil to ensure it wasn’t adulterated with cheaper, human‑feces‑derived musk.