A museum in China has been the topic of conversation online due to a unique drink they are offering to visitors — coffee made with powdered cockroach.
According to FTV News, the Beijing-based museum has been offering drinks made with insects since June.
Prior to the much-talked-about cockroach coffee, the museum also served up mealworm coffee and a Halloween-themed ant drink.
Source: FTV News
Photos of the unconventional drink — which show a brown liquid topped with what appears to be cockroach powder and body parts — have been shared on social media.
Source: Asia Business Daily
According to the South China Morning Post, the beverage has been met with much skepticism online.
One person said they would not drink it even if they were paid to do so.
Meanwhile, those who have tried the beverage — which goes for ¥45 (S$8.25) a cup — claims it tastes burnt and slightly sour.
One museum employee said they sell around 10 cups of the drink per day.
“The roach coffee is mainly consumed by curious young people,” they claimed.
As for why the museum is serving these drinks, they said that it only made sense because the museum is about insects.
Despite the fears, the museum assures consumers that the drinks are completely safe.
“All insect ingredients comply with food safety standards and are also used in traditional Chinese medicine (TCM),” said a museum representative.
In TCM, cockroach powder is believed to help improve blood circulation.
Also read: ‘Shameful & disgraceful’: Former opposition candidate slams insect consumption in S’pore
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Featured image adapted from Asia Business Daily and Sprudge Coffee. Image on the right for illustration purposes only.