Cannibalism - #8: Brain

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TRANSCRIPT OF EPISODE: Cannibalism (munching) “could you eat a whole human being? (munching) With the help of a doctor, a scientist and a chef, I set out to see if it’s possible. Cannibalism: part eight – the brain”. (burp)

Brain, the favourite food of a zombie, but rarely a cannibal. But are they too afraid?

In 1978, Robert Maudsley murdered two prisoners on his wing, the second being William Roberts who he stabbed in the head with a handmade shiv, smashed his skull against a wall, and although broken, according to the pathologist’s report “the brain remained intact”. But when less-reliable tabloids got hold of the story, the knife became a spoon and Robert Maudsley was branded as “the brain eater”.

But why is this act so terrifying and morally wrong? Because, if the skin is our identity, the brain is our personality and our soul, it’s the very essence of who we are, as without it, we’re just a sack of meat.

Weighing roughly 3lbs (or 1 and a 1/3 kilos) and being the size of both fists combined, the brain is split into three parts; the hindbrain which controls the body's vital functions, the midbrain which acts as a relay for senses, movement and pain, and the forebrain interprets sensory input and decision-making.

Protected by the skull, cerebrospinal fluid, and encased in a tough outer layer called the dura mater, the brain’s 100 billion neurons pass data at speeds of 250mph, it uses 20% of our oxygen and blood, it feels no pain, and – while we’re awake – it generates enough electricity to power a small light bulb.

Every animal has a brain, with the exception of jellyfish, sea sponges, clams and most football pundits.

Symbolically, the brain plays a key role in love and war. The Fore, an indigenous tribe of Papua New Guinea are said to eat the hearts and brains of their dead to honour them, and although unproven, the dictatorial President of Equatorial Guinea is said to eat the flesh, testicles and brains of his enemy.

Likewise, with many serial killers, brain eating is symbolic of unrequited love, control and domination. In 1989, Daniel Rakowitz murdered his roommate Monika Beerle claiming he loved her. Dismembering her in a bath, he boiled her remains, and having liquified her brain into a creamy soup, he said “I tasted it, and I liked it”, only to – supposedly – feed it to the homeless in New York’s Tompkins Square Park.

So, is the brain a suitable meal for any cannibal? Yes, of course.

Even Palaeolithic cannibals knew the value of a human brain, as comprising of 10% membrane, 30% water and proteins, but 60% fat, and although the fattest part of the human body, Dr Jim Stoppani, a Yale certified nutritionist said “the brain would provide slow-burning energy as it's high in fat and glucose”.

Comprising of roughly 2700 calories, enough to keep a cannibal alive for a day, with it weighing 1300 grams and being more than the recommended daily intake of 100 grams of cholesterol, a cannibal could safely eat a brain over 13 days, but – as a one-off meal – it wouldn’t be problem if they wolfed it down.

Journalist Carl Hoffman who witnessed The Asmat tribe of New Guinea said “they shook the brains out onto the leaf of a palm, scraped inside the skull with a knife to get every last bite, then mixed the mass with sago, wrapped the leaf up, and roasted it on the fire”. Although when TV host Reza Aslan ate brain with The Aghori tribe, he said “the brains tasted of charcoal… as they were burnt to a crisp”.

Which is a shame as being described as “soft, fatty and a bit waxy” with a texture like “a rich scrambled egg cooked in lamb’s fat”, composed mostly of fatty tissue, “it has a very mild, almost sweet flavor and a soft texture akin to heavily whipped cream” and it’s rich in vitamin B12 and omega-3 fatty acids.

Like sheep brains, human brain tissue is pale yellow, it has a slightly spongy feel but being “neither rubbery nor tough” it can be easily cut with a knife. In Slovakia, pig’s brains are mixed with ground meat, eggs and pickles. In Asia, lamb brain is pan-fried with salt and ginger. In the Middle East, it’s soaked in milk. Or, as Peter Bryan said having fried it, “I ate his brain with butter. It was nice”.

And although full of calories and nutrients as the survivors of the Andes plane crash can testify, brain tissue can be deadly. From 1957 to 1960, 1000 members of the 20,000 strong Fore tribe of New Guinea died of Kuru, a rare and incurable disorder caused by eating infected human brain tissue, resulting in tremors, slurred speech, memory loss (not unlike mad cow disease and dementia) and finally death.

Brain eating seems acceptable if it’s committed by indigenous tribes with long-held beliefs, but in the West, it’s still seen as shocking, and for good reason. In 2009, Otty Sanchez of Texas, who had a history of mental illness was hearing voices following the birth of her son. Triggering a postpartum psychosis, she murdered her three-week old son at “the devil’s orders”, eating parts of his brain, nose and toes.

Like many of these ancient tribes, it was said, by eating his brain, she wanted him to live-on inside her.

Join me tomorrow for possibly the least palatable part of a human body – the hair.