Shanghai Restaurant Offers Controversial Elephant Dung Dessert

A high-end Shanghai restaurant named Canopia has sparked controversy and divided public opinion by offering a 15-course rainforest-themed tasting menu that includes a dessert crafted from sterilised and dried elephant dung. The meal, priced at 3,888 yuan (US$550), features unconventional dishes inspired by the founders' seven years of research in Yunnan’s rainforests, such as tree leaves, honey-coated ice cubes, bamboo worms, and a pungent black paste mimicking the scent of decaying flowers. The elephant dung dessert, called 'Flowers Inserted into Elephant Dung,' consists of a crunchy dung base topped with honey sorbet, fruit jam, pollen, and herbal perfume, with diners offered an immersive tour to enhance the sensory experience. While the restaurant claims the dung is thoroughly disinfected and highlights its rich plant fiber content, questions remain about whether it meets food safety regulations, and most online reactions have ranged from fascination to disgust. The experience, promoted as 'ecological fusion cuisine,' has been widely discussed after a popular food blogger shared her detailed account and video online, further fueling debate about the boundaries of culinary innovation.