Brilio.net/en - Online marketplaces Amazon and Ebay are selling a bizarre item called cow dung patties which the shapes resemble hot cakes. As quoted from indianexpress (29/12), the unusual product is made of cow poops mixed with hays and dried under the sun.
Some retailers claimed that theyre offering discounts for large orders. Some of the customers even order the patties as souvenirs.
In India, where Hindus consider cows as a sacred animal, the cow dung patties are used for fuel for centuries, whether for cooking or religious rituals. In fact, the piles of drying cow dung can be found easily across rural India.
As stated by Radhika Agarwal of ShopClues, a major online retailer in India, the demand for the cow dung cakes will increase during the recent Diwali season, a moment when the Hindus in India perform a religious worship at their homes, companies and offices.
Recently, ShopClues website showed that their patties had sold out because there were a lot of demands for it.
He also said that the demand of the patties also rose in the cold winter as people used it to keep their body warm by the lighting of fires. He added that people who settled down in rural areas find the peaty smell of dung fires pleasant.
The cow dung cakes are retailed in packages that consist of two to eight pieces weighing 200 grams (7 ounces) each. The prices range from 100 to 400 rupees.