# Beaver butt secretion good for baking: agency **URL:** \ **Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share\ **Created:** [September 15, 2013, 6:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/beaver-butt-secretion-good-for-baking-agency/668923 "2013-09-15T18:47:47Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![ducati](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/cc9497/32.png) [@ducati](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ducati)\ **Post date:** [September 15, 2013, 6:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/beaver-butt-secretion-good-for-baking-agency/668923/1 "2013-09-15T18:47:47Z")
The Swedish National Food Agency (Livsmedelsverket) has confirmed that anal secretions from the beaver can be used to provide a taste similar to vanilla in baked goods and sweets. [It may taste like ice cream, but I’m still not rimming a beaver.](http://www.thelocal.se/50250/20130915/) ---
**Author:** ![Amateur\_Barbarian](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/59ef9b/32.png) [@Amateur\_Barbarian](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Amateur_Barbarian)\ **Post date:** [September 15, 2013, 6:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/beaver-butt-secretion-good-for-baking-agency/668923/2 "2013-09-15T18:50:21Z")
Castoreum has been used for centuries (at least) in perfumery, where when diluted about a billion to one, it adds a floral/vanilla note. But you can keep your beaver nutsack out of my ice cream anyway. ---
**Author:** ![monstro](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/ba9def/32.png) [@monstro](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/monstro)\ **Post date:** [September 15, 2013, 7:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/beaver-butt-secretion-good-for-baking-agency/668923/3 "2013-09-15T19:23:10Z")
This is why doing stuff on a dare isn’t always bad. The guy who made this discovery was no doubt double-dog dared into doing it, and now the world is better because of it. ---
**Author:** ![Slithy\_Tove](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/slithy_tove/32/18248_2.png) [@Slithy\_Tove](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Slithy_Tove)\ **Post date:** [September 15, 2013, 7:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/beaver-butt-secretion-good-for-baking-agency/668923/4 "2013-09-15T19:34:36Z")
So was Simone de Beauvoir’s like French vanilla? Nelson Algren’s literary estate is silent on the matter. ---
**Author:** ![Morgenstern](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/f9ae1b/32.png) [@Morgenstern](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Morgenstern)\ **Post date:** [September 15, 2013, 7:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/beaver-butt-secretion-good-for-baking-agency/668923/5 "2013-09-15T19:38:24Z")
Similar to vanilla? I thought beaver tasted more like chicken. ---
**Author:** ![thelurkinghorror](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/7c8e57/32.png) [@thelurkinghorror](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/thelurkinghorror)\ **Post date:** [September 15, 2013, 10:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/beaver-butt-secretion-good-for-baking-agency/668923/6 "2013-09-15T22:46:02Z")
As **Amateur Barbarian** says, how is this current news? Did they also confirm that drinking water is good for you. The beauty is that if you go out of your way to avoid artificial flavoring because you think they’re bad, this is considered “natural flavoring.” Castoreum is also used in strawberry and raspberry flavorings. Civet ass scrapings are used in perfume. For ethical reasons, sometimes civetone is synthesized through other means. > [@Morgenstern](#): > > Similar to vanilla? I thought beaver tasted more like chicken. If your beaver tastes like chicken, maybe it needs to be given a shower. ---
**Author:** ![EmilyG](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/emilyg/32/364_2.png) [@EmilyG](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/EmilyG)\ **Post date:** [September 15, 2013, 10:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/beaver-butt-secretion-good-for-baking-agency/668923/7 "2013-09-15T22:50:36Z")
Hmm, maybe I should switch from artificial to real vanilla in my baking… ---
**Author:** ![Amateur\_Barbarian](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/59ef9b/32.png) [@Amateur\_Barbarian](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Amateur_Barbarian)\ **Post date:** [September 15, 2013, 11:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/beaver-butt-secretion-good-for-baking-agency/668923/8 "2013-09-15T23:28:43Z")
> [@EmilyG](#): > > Hmm, maybe I should switch from artificial to real vanilla in my baking… Well, Cook’s and other say there’s no difference, so go right ahead. It won’t be because there’s castoreum in the artificial stuff - like most perfume agents, it’s one of the costliest substances on earth. Y’ain’t gonna find it in gallon jugs of I Can’t Believe It’s Not Vanilla. ---
**Author:** ![EmilyG](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/emilyg/32/364_2.png) [@EmilyG](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/EmilyG)\ **Post date:** [September 15, 2013, 11:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/beaver-butt-secretion-good-for-baking-agency/668923/9 "2013-09-15T23:44:20Z")
> [@Amateur\_Barbarian](#): > > Well, Cook’s and other say there’s no difference, so go right ahead. It won’t be because there’s castoreum in the artificial stuff - like most perfume agents, it’s one of the costliest substances on earth. Y’ain’t gonna find it in gallon jugs of I Can’t Believe It’s Not Vanilla. Oh, okay then. 🆒 ---
**Author:** ![FriarTed](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/friarted/32/1052_2.png) [@FriarTed](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/FriarTed)\ **Post date:** [September 16, 2013, 1:58am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/beaver-butt-secretion-good-for-baking-agency/668923/10 "2013-09-16T01:58:02Z")
> [@ducati](#): > > [It may taste like ice cream, but I’m still not rimming a beaver.](http://www.thelocal.se/50250/20130915/) Who else heard that in Samuel L. Jackson’s voice? ---
**Author:** ![panache45](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/panache45/32/64_2.png) [@panache45](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/panache45)\ **Post date:** [September 16, 2013, 2:46am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/beaver-butt-secretion-good-for-baking-agency/668923/11 "2013-09-16T02:46:31Z")
> [@Morgenstern](#): > > Similar to vanilla? I thought beaver tasted more like chicken. But have you ever tasted chicken butt secretion? ---
**Author:** ![Siam\_Sam](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/d78d45/32.png) [@Siam\_Sam](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Siam_Sam)\ **Post date:** [September 16, 2013, 3:02am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/beaver-butt-secretion-good-for-baking-agency/668923/12 "2013-09-16T03:02:03Z")
> [@ducati](#): > > [It may taste like ice cream, but I’m still not rimming a beaver.](http://www.thelocal.se/50250/20130915/) Don’t knock it 'til you’ve tried it. 😉 > [@Morgenstern](#): > > Similar to vanilla? I thought beaver tasted more like chicken. I thought they smelled like fish. 😕 ---
**Author:** ![dogbutler](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dogbutler/32/428_2.png) [@dogbutler](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dogbutler)\ **Post date:** [September 16, 2013, 3:34am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/beaver-butt-secretion-good-for-baking-agency/668923/13 "2013-09-16T03:34:45Z")
> [@ducati](#): > > The Swedish National Food Agency (Livsmedelsverket) has confirmed that anal secretions from the beaver can be used to provide a taste similar to vanilla in baked goods and sweets. > [It may taste like ice cream, but I’m still not rimming a beaver.](http://www.thelocal.se/50250/20130915/) Friend: This cake tastes like ass! Me: It’s supposed to! ---
**Author:** ![thelurkinghorror](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/7c8e57/32.png) [@thelurkinghorror](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/thelurkinghorror)\ **Post date:** [September 16, 2013, 3:37am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/beaver-butt-secretion-good-for-baking-agency/668923/14 "2013-09-16T03:37:01Z")
> [@panache45](#): > > But have you ever tasted chicken butt secretion? You know what? ---
**Author:** ![ducati](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/cc9497/32.png) [@ducati](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ducati)\ **Post date:** [September 16, 2013, 7:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/beaver-butt-secretion-good-for-baking-agency/668923/15 "2013-09-16T19:13:24Z")
> [@FriarTed](#): > > Who else heard that in Samuel L. Jackson’s voice? 😃 ---
**Author:** ![Drunky\_Smurf](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/drunky_smurf/32/449_2.png) [@Drunky\_Smurf](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Drunky_Smurf)\ **Post date:** [September 16, 2013, 7:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/beaver-butt-secretion-good-for-baking-agency/668923/16 "2013-09-16T19:29:34Z")
> [@FriarTed](#): > > Who else heard that in Samuel L. Jackson’s voice? It was Morgan Freeman for me. ---
**Author:** ![hotflungwok](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/edb3f5/32.png) [@hotflungwok](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/hotflungwok)\ **Post date:** [September 16, 2013, 7:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/beaver-butt-secretion-good-for-baking-agency/668923/17 "2013-09-16T19:32:05Z")
> [@monstro](#): > > This is why doing stuff on a dare isn’t always bad. The guy who made this discovery was no doubt double-dog dared into doing it, and now the world is better because of it. It’s the 40 or 50 guys who lost a bet and had to lick the other non-vanilla tasting parts of the beaver I feel sorry for. ---
**Author:** ![blondebear](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/blondebear/32/1022_2.png) [@blondebear](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/blondebear)\ **Post date:** [September 16, 2013, 7:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/beaver-butt-secretion-good-for-baking-agency/668923/18 "2013-09-16T19:41:47Z")
Beaver butt juice: it’s nature’s candy! ---
**Author:** ![thelurkinghorror](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/7c8e57/32.png) [@thelurkinghorror](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/thelurkinghorror)\ **Post date:** [September 16, 2013, 7:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/beaver-butt-secretion-good-for-baking-agency/668923/19 "2013-09-16T19:42:17Z")
> [@Drunky\_Smurf](#): > > It was Morgan Freeman for me. And now I’m thinking about [these “Morgan Freeman” videos](http://www.youtube.com/results?search_query=zefrank1+true+facts&oq=zefrank1+true+facts&gs_l=youtube.3..0l10.7503.11553.0.11618.25.16.1.6.6.1.454.3044.4j7j2j1j2.16.0...0.0...1ac.1.11.youtube.CakK6liV7wU). Doesn’t look like he’s done a beaver one. ---
**Author:** ![Spiderman](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/spiderman/32/230_2.png) [@Spiderman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Spiderman)\ **Post date:** [September 17, 2013, 12:26am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/beaver-butt-secretion-good-for-baking-agency/668923/20 "2013-09-17T00:26:58Z")
> [@hotflungwok](#): > > It’s the 40 or 50 guys who lost a bet and had to lick the other non-vanilla tasting parts of the beaver I feel sorry for. Lose a bet, lick a beaver? Hmmm, doesn’t seem so bad to me. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/beaver-butt-secretion-good-for-baking-agency/668923.md?page=2)