# What does Whale Milk taste like? **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [January 23, 2001, 11:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-does-whale-milk-taste-like/51474 "2001-01-23T23:08:47Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![oldscratch](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/ed655f/32.png) [@oldscratch](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/oldscratch)\ **Post date:** [January 23, 2001, 11:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-does-whale-milk-taste-like/51474/1 "2001-01-23T23:08:47Z")
Is it fishy? It’s got 53 times the ammount of fat as human milk. Speaking of which what are the relatives fat contents of human and other milks. hmmmm. ---
**Author:** ![Johanna](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/johanna/32/8318_2.png) [@Johanna](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Johanna)\ **Post date:** [January 23, 2001, 11:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-does-whale-milk-taste-like/51474/2 "2001-01-23T23:18:27Z")
Can’t say . . . but in Paul Theroux’s (thinly fictionalized) autobiographical novel _My Secret History_ there’s a chapter titled “Whale Steaks” about his adolescence in Massachusetts. Seems there was an eatery there in the 1950s which advertised Whale Steaks, and he always wondered what it would be like to eat one. Well, he went through a lot of weird adolescent shit on the way to getting a chance to eat Whale Steak, and when he finally sat down to it, he wasn’t able to stomach it. He reported that it tasted fishy (of course). ---
**Author:** ![2planka](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/2/a8b319/32.png) [@2planka](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/2planka)\ **Post date:** [January 23, 2001, 11:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-does-whale-milk-taste-like/51474/3 "2001-01-23T23:36:21Z")
CHICKEN!!! Sorry… couldn’t resist. :eek: ---
**Author:** ![toadspittle](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/c0e974/32.png) [@toadspittle](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/toadspittle)\ **Post date:** [January 23, 2001, 11:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-does-whale-milk-taste-like/51474/4 "2001-01-23T23:54:47Z")
Sorry, it’s been awhile since I wrote about various mammals’ milk fat content, but, as I recall, whale milk is slightly more than 50% fat, human milk closer to skim/1% levels. (Cow milk is 4% fat.) But this is just from long-ago memories. I’ll check for cites. Don’t know about the tastes, though… ---
**Author:** ![Shatzi](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/df788c/32.png) [@Shatzi](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Shatzi)\ **Post date:** [January 23, 2001, 11:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-does-whale-milk-taste-like/51474/5 "2001-01-23T23:55:59Z")
I’d imagine it would be extremely creamy and rich because of that high fat content (whale calves need to gain /enormous/ amounts of weight by the day)…however I doubt it would taste ‘fishy’ or have any other strange taste. Milk is milk ;\> ---
**Author:** ![handy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/b5a626/32.png) [@handy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/handy)\ **Post date:** [January 23, 2001, 11:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-does-whale-milk-taste-like/51474/6 "2001-01-23T23:59:12Z")
Ask at a Japanese restaurant, they know what whale tastes like. Ours did. ---
**Author:** ![toadspittle](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/c0e974/32.png) [@toadspittle](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/toadspittle)\ **Post date:** [January 24, 2001, 12:00am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-does-whale-milk-taste-like/51474/7 "2001-01-24T00:00:08Z")
Here’s a link. The table is way down the page. [http://classes.aces.uiuc.edu/AnSci308/milkcomp.html](http://classes.aces.uiuc.edu/AnSci308/milkcomp.html) I stand corrected. Human milk: 4.5% fat (comparable to cow milk, which varies by breed) Whale: 34.8% fat Gray seal: 53.2% fat Hmm. “Whale” is kind of vague when referring to the entire cetacean group. I could have sworn that Blue Whale milk had the highest fat content. I’ll check more. ---
**Author:** ![oldscratch](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/ed655f/32.png) [@oldscratch](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/oldscratch)\ **Post date:** [January 24, 2001, 12:08am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-does-whale-milk-taste-like/51474/8 "2001-01-24T00:08:23Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Shatzi \* > \*\*however I doubt it would taste ‘fishy’ or have any other strange taste. Milk is milk ;\> \*\* Have you tried various types of milk? Goat milk, sheep milk, human milk, lama’s milk, horse’s milk, and bear’s milk all taste very different… so I’m guessing that whale’s milk would pick up from what they eat. Would it have a higher salt content? I know they don’t eat fish, but what about the killer whales… hmmmm. ---
**Author:** ![toadspittle](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/c0e974/32.png) [@toadspittle](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/toadspittle)\ **Post date:** [January 24, 2001, 12:09am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-does-whale-milk-taste-like/51474/9 "2001-01-24T00:09:33Z")
This one says “35-50%” fat. [http://www.bigsurcalifornia.org/whalesblue.html](http://www.bigsurcalifornia.org/whalesblue.html) This one, 45-50%. [http://www.zoomwhales.com/subjects/whales/species/Bluewhale.shtml](http://www.zoomwhales.com/subjects/whales/species/Bluewhale.shtml) It’s a lot. I imagine it would be rather creamy. Heavy cream is 37% fat according to the USDA. Butter is 81% fat. So mix them half and half to get a fair approximation. (And, yes, I imagine it would taste pretty fishy.) ---
**Author:** ![Shatzi](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/df788c/32.png) [@Shatzi](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Shatzi)\ **Post date:** [January 24, 2001, 12:26am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-does-whale-milk-taste-like/51474/10 "2001-01-24T00:26:48Z")
(don’t mind me, just rambling here ;\> ) Well I don’t mean all milk tastes exactly the same there…perhaps I used a poor choice of words. I know there are subtle differences in different types of milk. I’ve had cow’s milk, goat’s milk, and even remember the taste of my mother’s milk from when my sister was born (kinda sweet and had an almond-like flavor, as I recall 🙂 ) But I guess my point is that pretty much all milk probably would have that same…creamy…milky taste, right? I can’t claim to be an expert on the subject, but from what I know about biology and anatomy I don’t think that an animal’s diet would impact the taste of milk in that way…for example a whale’s milk shouldn’t taste just like the fish it eats…am I making sense? 😛 I dunno. Good question! 😉 ---
**Author:** ![Rasa](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/rasa/32/3578_2.png) [@Rasa](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rasa)\ **Post date:** [January 24, 2001, 12:26am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-does-whale-milk-taste-like/51474/11 "2001-01-24T00:26:56Z")
I can’t help you with what it tastes like, but I have two things to say: 1. A grey whale’s tongue weighs 3,000 lbs 2. Hi, Opal! 3. You’re watching _waaaaay_ too much Animal Planet. 😃 ---
**Author:** ![Johanna](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/johanna/32/8318_2.png) [@Johanna](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Johanna)\ **Post date:** [January 24, 2001, 12:57am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-does-whale-milk-taste-like/51474/12 "2001-01-24T00:57:33Z")
> [@](#): > > Would it have a higher salt content? In _Ulysses_, Leopold Bloom (who spends half his time thinking about food) ponders the question: > [@](#): > > If you cram a turkey, say, on chestnut meal it tastes like that. Eat pig like pig. But then why is it that saltwater fish are not salty? How is that? ---
**Author:** ![Arjuna34](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/eb8c5e/32.png) [@Arjuna34](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Arjuna34)\ **Post date:** [January 24, 2001, 1:15am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-does-whale-milk-taste-like/51474/13 "2001-01-24T01:15:27Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Shatzi \* > \*\* I can’t claim to be an expert on the subject, but from what I know about biology and anatomy I don’t think that an animal’s diet would impact the taste of milk in that way…for example a whale’s milk shouldn’t taste just like the fish it eats…am I making sense? 😛 I dunno. Good question! 😉 \*\* Actually, for humans at least, the milk taste is influenced quite a bit by the mother’s diet. It’s even been speculated that infants aquire a taste for the local cuisine by tasting hints of it while breast feeding, and these tastes persist into adulthood. Arjuna34 ---
**Author:** ![Sunspace](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/sunspace/32/1250_2.png) [@Sunspace](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sunspace)\ **Post date:** [January 24, 2001, 1:28am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-does-whale-milk-taste-like/51474/14 "2001-01-24T01:28:42Z")
> [@](#): > > _ **oldscratch** said:_ > Have you tried various types of milk? Goat milk, sheep milk, human milk, lama’s milk, horse’s milk, and bear’s milk all taste very different… Bear milk? _ **Bear** milk?!?_ Now there’s a job I wouldn’t want… \ After an emergency call from the hospital, a panicked spouse rushes to the hospital: “Honey, what happened?” “First day on the job at the dairy, and because I was the newbie, they got me to milk the bears…” :eek: > [@](#): > > _ **Arjuna34** said:_ > It’s even been speculated that infants aquire a taste for the local cuisine by tasting hints of it while breast feeding, and these tastes persist into adulthood. Would this hold for infants who were not breast-fed? ---
**Author:** ![Arjuna34](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/eb8c5e/32.png) [@Arjuna34](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Arjuna34)\ **Post date:** [January 24, 2001, 1:41am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-does-whale-milk-taste-like/51474/15 "2001-01-24T01:41:13Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Sunspace \* > \*\* > > > [@](#): > > > > _ **Arjuna34** said:_ > > It’s even been speculated that infants aquire a taste for the local cuisine by tasting hints of it while breast feeding, and these tastes persist into adulthood. > > Would this hold for infants who were not breast-fed? > \*\* I don’t see how a formula-fed baby would get any hint of local tastes, beyond any similarity of the formula with the local food. Arjuna34 ---
**Author:** ![CalMeacham](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/calmeacham/32/35_2.png) [@CalMeacham](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CalMeacham)\ **Post date:** [January 24, 2001, 2:15am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-does-whale-milk-taste-like/51474/16 "2001-01-24T02:15:12Z")
Victor B. Schaeffer talks about the fat content of whale’s milk in his wonderful book “The Year of the Whale”. It’s more tha 50% fat for a sperm whale, he says, but he doesn’t say what it tastes like. ---
**Author:** ![S-Terry\_Dan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/7cd45c/32.png) [@S-Terry\_Dan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/S-Terry_Dan)\ **Post date:** [January 24, 2001, 4:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-does-whale-milk-taste-like/51474/17 "2001-01-24T16:49:57Z")
Intriguing. It could taste like a milkshake for all we know, but the logistics of it are extremely difficult. How, exactly, do you milk a whale? Do you winch it up out of the water? Make some sort of underwater milking machine (with some way to keep the salt water out)? Or just nudge a nursing calf out of the way and go for it? …actually, it’d probably be easier if you’re willing to settle for orca. Good luck finding a lactating whale in the wild. ---
**Author:** ![Spoke](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/a88e57/32.png) [@Spoke](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Spoke)\ **Post date:** [January 24, 2001, 8:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-does-whale-milk-taste-like/51474/18 "2001-01-24T20:01:13Z")
I’m betting on a fishy taste. I know that if you have a milk cow, you have to keep her from eating wild onions, or the milk winds up tasting oniony. So I think it’s probably a safe assumption that the seafood diet of whales lends their milk a fishy flavor. ---
**Author:** ![oldscratch](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/ed655f/32.png) [@oldscratch](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/oldscratch)\ **Post date:** [January 24, 2001, 8:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-does-whale-milk-taste-like/51474/19 "2001-01-24T20:22:33Z")
I was thinking that spoke- but I also thought, most whales eat plankton. How does plankton taste? does it taste fishy? I can understand for killer whales and such. I guess an easy test would be to taste the breast milk of a human female in a sea area, someone who subsisted on mostly fish and seafood. That might steer us in the right direction. ---
**Author:** ![Kimstu](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/ecd19e/32.png) [@Kimstu](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kimstu)\ **Post date:** [January 25, 2001, 12:15am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-does-whale-milk-taste-like/51474/20 "2001-01-25T00:15:45Z")
Well, [Jules Verne](http://jv.gilead.org.il/pg/20000/2/12.html) had, if not an informed opinion, at least an opinion on this question: > [@](#): > > Captain Nemo watched the troop of cetacea playing on the waters about a mile from the Nautilus. > “They are southern whales,” said he; “there goes the fortune of a whole fleet of whalers.” > […] > I recognised the southern whale by its flat head, which is entirely black. Anatomically, it is distinguished from the white whale and the North Cape whale by the seven cervical vertebræ, and it has two more ribs than its congeners. The unfortunate cetacean was lying on its side, riddled with holes from the bites, and quite dead. From its mutilated fin still hung a young whale which it could not save from the massacre. Its open mouth let the water flow in and out, murmuring like the waves breaking on the shore. Captain Nemo steered close to the corpse of the creature. Two of his men mounted its side, and I saw, not without surprise, that they were drawing from its breasts all the milk which they contained, that is to say, about two or three tons. The Captain offered me a cup of the milk, which was still warm. I could not help showing my repugnance to the drink; but he assured me that it was excellent, and not to be distinguished from cow’s milk. I tasted it, and was of his opinion. It was a useful reserve to us, for in the shape of salt butter or cheese it would form an agreeable variety from our ordinary food. So Verne suggests that the milk of the “southern whale”, at least, tastes indistinguishable from cow’s milk. Where he got this information, or whether he just made it up, I have no idea. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-does-whale-milk-taste-like/51474.md?page=2)