Would eating a body part such as a placenta count as cannibalism?
Recently, Taiwanese actor Benjamin Wong shared that his wife, Cindy, a pilates instructor, had given birth to a baby girl.
In an Instagram video, he shows how he cooked the placenta for them to eat.
It may sound weird but according to WebMD, many women consume their placenta in different ways after giving birth. Some eat it raw, some cook it thoroughly, others blend it in a smoothie and some dehydrate it to put it into pills for consumption. Old wives’ tales say that eating the placenta can raise energy and promote milk production.
In Benjamin Wong’s case, he boiled and stir-fried it with a bunch of veggies.
The clip that he uploaded shows the steps he took to make the dish. Firstly, he washed it and then peeled the membrane off. After cutting it into bite-sized pieces, he then cooked it in a pot of boiling water with cloves of garlic.
He took them out and prepared the veggies that need to go with it. He sauteed the onions and bell peppers before putting in the “star” of the show, the placenta.
After some seasoning, he plated it up and served it to his wife. The both of them then took a bite and the actor said that it tasted like liver while his wife said that it tasted fishy.
After taking a second bite, the new mother said that the particular piece was actually quite nice and crispy.
Many netizens were repulsed by this.
“This is really disgusting.”
“Why would you want to eat your own body tissue?”
Science has said that there are no apparent benefits to eating placenta, and in some cases, it might do more harm than good as the placenta might be tainted with bacteria and viruses and when consumed, may cause infection.
Have you ever heard of people in your life eating their placenta? Let us know in the comments.
Also read: M’sian Restaurant Says Its “Special Ingredient” Claim is Just a Prank, MOH to Take Action
