What does human flesh taste like? 'Cannibal' confessions revealed

July 2024 · 4 minute read

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Spanish social media star Paula Gonu sickened fans earlier this month after revealing that she ate her own knee cartilage during a romantic dinner date with her beau.

However, the beauty is far from the first person to publicly profess to sampling some human flesh.

Murderers, plane crash survivors and investigative authors have all spoken out about how humans taste, with some likening the flesh to tuna, while others have compared it to chicken.

However, one scientific gadget has concluded that human flesh tastes most like a different kind of animal — pig.

In 2006, NEC System Technologies and Mie University in Japan developed a robot capable of tasting and identifying different wines, cheeses and meats.

According to an article in Wired, a reporter placed their hand inside the robot’s mouth, with the machine subsequently claiming the human hand was bacon.

A cameraman also carried out the same action, with the robot revealing that the man’s hand tasted like prosciutto.

Spanish social media star Paula Gonu sickened fans earlier this month after revealing that she ate her own knee cartilage during a romantic dinner with her beau. Paula Gonu/Instagram

Meanwhile, in 2014, BBC Science reporter Greg Foot conducted a queasy experiment to determine what human flesh tasted like.

Chunks of quadricep muscles were taken from Foot’s thigh and analyzed under a microscope before being cooked up and chemically tested, News.com.au reported at the time.

Given that eating human flesh is outlawed in the UK, researchers involved in the taste test tried to re-create the exact flavor of the muscles based on the aroma they emitted while cooking. The researchers claimed the accuracy was around 80%.

They subsequently concocted a burger using lamb and pork based on the taste, which was then provided to Foot.

The science presenter was then filmed chowing down on the meaty mixture, which he claimed tasted a “bit beefy” — unlike the Japanese robot which likened human flesh to bacon and prosciutto.

“I think it’s the closest I’m ever going to get to tasting human,” Foot declared. “I tell you what, it’s pretty good.”

In 2014, BBC Science reported Greg Foot had a biopsy taken from his right thigh for an experiment to determine what human flesh tasted like. BBC Earth Lab/YouTube
Chunks of quadricep muscles were taken from Foot’s thigh before being analyzed under a microscope. BBC Earth Lab/YouTube
Given that eating human flesh is outlawed in the UK, researchers tried to re-create what the muscle would taste like based on the aroma it emitted while it was cooking. They claimed its accuracy was around 80%. The experts subsequently concocted a burger using lamb and pork based on the taste. BBC Earth Lab/YouTube
“I think it’s the closest I’m ever going to get to tasting human,” the science presenter declared. “I tell you what, it’s pretty good.” BBC Earth Lab/YouTube

While the replica came close to the real thing, others who have tasted actual human flesh have also given their own opinions.

Japan’s cannibal killer Issei Sagawa, who murdered and ate a fellow college student in 1981, claimed human flesh was “like the best tuna, [but] without the smell.”

Meanwhile, Nando Parrado, one of the 16 survivors of the 1972 Andes flight disaster, gave his own take on the taste of flesh after being forced to eat it in the aftermath of the crash.

“When I ate my first piece, it had no taste. I forced myself to swallow without guilt. I was eating to live,” Parrado purportedly said of the “Yellowjackets”-style cannibal cuisine.

Nando Parrado, one of the 16 survivors of the 1972 Andes flight disaster, also revealed that he was forced to eat flesh to survive in the aftermath of the crash. Popperfoto via Getty Images
The Showtime series “Yellowjackets” revolves around survivors of a plane crash who resort to cannibalism (pictured). Showtime Networks Inc.

Back in the 1920s, American adventurer William Buehler Seabrook traveled to West Africa to learn more about the cannibalistic rituals of the Guero people.

“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,” he recalled in his 1931 book “Jungle Ways.”

As for Gonu, the TikToker hasn’t revealed what her knee cartilage tasted like. However, her social media stunt sickened fans.

As for Gonu, the TikToker hasn’t revealed what her knee cartilage tasted like. However, her social media stunt sickened fans. Jam Press

“At what point did I decide that it was a good idea to watch this over dinner?” one said of Gonu’s gross confession video.

“My stomach hurt. Now it hurts even more,” another declared.

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