can you eat a human brain?

Question

is it deadly to eat a human brain?

Answer 1

Human brain, like other animal brain, is poor in nutritive value. It is if little value as a food source, despite what other respondents are saying. There is, as another respondent pointed out, the chance of catching a disease cause by prions, a protein based "organism", simpler than a virus. This is called, I believe, Kuru. It is similar to mad cow disease. Other than this proviso, it should be safe to eat, just as safe as any other part of the human body. It is of course illegal, and may see you locked up for a while, after being examined by men in white coats, so you will probably only do it once.

Answer 2

So, let me give a unifying answer. Yes, absolutely you can eat a human brain. Cannibals have indeed been doing (or at least were doing) it for centuries.

Yes, it most certainly can give you kuru, which is similar to mad cow disease. Kuru was not uncommon among the Fore tribe in New Guinea and, even though cannibalism stopped in the 1950's, people are still coming down with the disease well into this decade, indicating that it has a long incubation period. Work on kuru

Answer 3

If you eat a healthy brain, no. However, some people's brain may be infected with a human version of mad cow disease. If you eat the brain of those people, you get the disease too. I am not making this up. On those islands in which people eat the brains of their dead relatives for ceremony(the dead likely died of the brain disease), the relatives will die of the same reason.

Answer 4

Humans are animals and nothing more. Humans are not poisonous

All over the world in ancient times people would eat the brains of 'medicine people" when they passed to gain their knowledge. It's not a new idea.

People still eat calf, monkey, etc brains they just call them "sweet breads"

Answer 5

There is obviously a huge social taboo against cannibalism and there is a slight chance that you might get prions. That could cause a horrible brain disease called spongiform encephalopathy. It was a very large problem for some of the Indonesian cannibals. It is more likely in a population that eats a lot of brain over a long period of time. It is rare for the protein to deform in the way it needs to in order to form prions. Once it forms though, anybody eating it will likely get the disease and will become "infectious" to those who eat him. Oh, and cooking doesn't help because the prion is heat resistant. :>)

Answer 6

I knew a Viet Nam vet who had eaten monkey brains from a live monkey while in the country. Recipes for brain fritters (cow brains) are in The Joy of Cooking I think. (I've eaten cow brain fritters.) Of course it would be deadly to the person whose brain you would be eating!

My question is, why are you asking this question?

Answer 7

I am not sure if it is deadly. We do eat pig's brains, and cow brains. I really do not think it would be socially acceptable since that would be considered cannibalism, though.

Answer 8

Some restaurants in southern Indiana and northern Kentucky serve fried cow brain sandwich. If you are ever in the area try it to see how brain tastes.

Answer 9

Not at all. Monkey brains are eaten in europe. Who's to say that they don't eat human brains as well?
Cannibals problably do it too.

Answer 10

Is there any doubt? Of course you are going to kill the human if you eat his/her brain.