Thought Provoking, Insightful News & Analysis

Mouthwatering News! Monday, Feb. 23, 2004:
New Craze In Cuisine For The Rich: Mashed Donkey Brains!

Exclusive restaurants such as, "The Mashed Donkey Brain," in Manhattan are serving donkey brains to enthusiastic connoisseurs.

Connoisseurs admit that it sounds disgusting but say, “Wait until you taste it. It's fantastic and there's nothing like it.” Exclusive restaurants around the country are serving up mashed donkey brains and charging a hefty price for it—and connoisseurs cannot get enough.

Bernie Keshtroon, a chef at Jago's, an uptown Manhattan restaurant says, “We can't keep enough donkey brains in stock—and we're charging more for it than we charge for lobster.”

The high price is not stopping Elbert Mortiensmit, a won over food critic who said, “At first, I was skeptical about eating donkey brains, but I tried them and, believe me, they are out of this world. A texture of slightly fermented clammy cauliflower, with hints of burnt toasty oak and refined fish guts. Mashed donkey brains are very delectable and I eat them whenever I can.”

Walk by restaurant windows from Manhattan to San Fransisco and you can see looks of rapture on dinners faces and a yellowish brown muck on their plates.

A new upscale eatery has opened in Manhattan that is taking advantage of the new gourmet trend by naming itself, “The Mashed Donkey Brain.” The eatery specializes in serving the finest donkey brains available. Owner Reny Reetbald says, “A name like that a year ago would have struck people as absurd. We have had visits from many of the nation's leading food critics and our business is booming. You need to make reservations a week in advance. We even turned away the Mayor last week.”

Not everyone is happy with the new trend. Ismeal Gotenchesh, president of the, “Save Our Donkeys” foundation is alarmed, “This savage practice is an outrageous slaughter of these beautiful animals. This is murder, donkey murder. We can only hope people will wake up and leave the majestic donkey the right to live in peace.”

Numerous food and gourmet magazines have already featured cover stories on mashed donkey brains. “Donkey brains seem to be getting more and more popular. I don't think this a trend that is going to pass anytime soon,” says Food and Wine magazine editor Jelbert Humstoper. “That is understandable when you savor the delectable creaminess of mashed donkey brains. They have an intoxicating texture akin to a slimy potato and rotten fish soup—it's very savory. And the aroma! Like a mix of anchovy guts and a fine aged rotten cheese.”

The craze is not spreading to other parts of the world yet. Anello Funagabazzi, a famed Italian chef, who recently visited the US said, “As the quality of fine cuisine increases in the US, so you will increase the world's perception that not only the French eat some pretty weird stuff.”