April 6, 2022, 12:56 pm | Read time: 3 minutes
Ever heard of castoreum? Even if many people probably can’t imagine what the name refers to, it doesn’t sound particularly appetizing. Yet, most people have already come into contact with castoreum–without knowing it, of course. We subjected liqueur with castoreum to a taste test and were surprised by the flavor of this peculiar specialty.
Castoreum is likely unfamiliar to most. However, the substance is quite common in our daily lives and hides behind the name castoreum. It is found, for example, in perfume. This is surprising, as castoreum is a substance derived from the gland sacs of beavers, located between the anus and genitals. Beavers use the scent to groom themselves and mark their territory. Thus, perfume wearers are theoretically marked as part of a beaver’s territory.
The idea of eating castoreum is even more off-putting. In the U.S., at least, the secretion is still allowed and is even classified under the term “natural flavoring.” Thus, castoreum is hidden in some American products. Why? Because it can impart a vanilla, strawberry, or raspberry flavor, as reported by the vegan online guide Vegan World.
Researchers have also demonstrated that the pheromones contained in castoreum have a stimulating effect on the human sexual gland system. Beavers themselves, contrary to what the name suggests, are not aroused by the substance. However, humans have long used castoreum as a remedy for headaches, fever, or epilepsy–even though the medical benefits of castoreum have never been proven.
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Castoreum in the Test
If you want to consciously test castoreum yourself, you can do so at the Berlin Disgusting Food Museum. On-site, there is a bar where visitors can try all sorts of strange things. In addition to worms, bugs, and dubious cheese, there is also a schnapps with castoreum. Before tasting, a quick smell test: castoreum liqueur smells like cough syrup, according to the verdict. The smell is harmless, and the brown color resembles a throat medicine and does not evoke disgust.
The result of the castoreum test is surprising. Here you can see how the drink was received:
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Why We Won’t Drink Castoreum a Second Time
Nevertheless, we probably won’t drink castoreum again anytime soon. The herbal schnapps has a dark past. In the past, the only way to obtain castoreum was by removing the gland sacs from dead beavers. These animals often lived short lives in cages on beaver farms or were hunted. The demand was once so high that beavers were nearly extinct in Central Europe by the mid-19th century, as reported by the Berliner Morgenpost. However, the main reason for this was the animal’s fur, in addition to castoreum.
Today, however, beavers are among the strictly protected species here, and no beaver is killed for castoreum. Beaver farms now have special reception stations where beavers can shed the secretion without having to die, as reported by Deutschlandfunk Nova. Additionally, it is now possible to produce the aroma artificially.