Black Africans do say that their fellow blacks taste better than Whites. Also, some early European explorers journeying up an African river encountered a native village where they found numerous blacks (prisoners of war and the like) staked out on wooden piles in the river. They were immersed in the water up to their necks and their legs were broken. Upon interrogating the local chief they discovered that this was the communal larder! It seems they were immersed in water as a means of tenderizing their flesh prior to consumption. The Europeans thought that the future dinners had their legs broken to prevent escape. They were corrected by the chief, who informed them that the pain inflicted on the poor beggars was done, not to prevent escape, but to improve the flavor of their flesh. The locals maintained that inflicting constant pain improved the taste.

This is probably so, as we know that severe pain and fear release enzymes into the bloodstream that certainly affect the flavor of the flesh. One wonders if any studies have been performed on Kosher butchery and death by slow exsanguation (loss of blood) and conscious terror on the part of the animals as they slowly bleed to death.

You won't find this sort of information in your favorite PBS or National Geographic "documentary" on Africa however. The above account appeared in an issue of Wilmot Robertson's (now defunct) magazine Instauration, but I don't recall which issue. This was at least 12 or 15 years ago. The article did provide details of source, date and location.

‘When I was a kid, my father made friends with an Aussie chap. This Aussie had been an Australian "Digger" (soldier) during WWII and had taken part in the New Guinea campaign against the Japanese. He related how the defending forces had been aided by native Papuan head-hunters/cannibals. It seems both sides had sought the natives assistance -- they were useless for actual combat -- but were helpful in providing intelligence on the enemy's strength and movements. The native did provide military assistance in that they were pretty good at taking out lone sentries and harassing and ambushing enemy patrols.

‘According to this Aussie the natives sided with the Allies because they were given tacit approval to keep any Jap they killed or captured. It seems that the New Guinea natives didn't care for the flavour of the Americans and Australians due to their subsisting on a diet of tinned salt beef and salt pork. The Japs, on the other hand, lived on a diet of rice, fish, vegetables and fruit. They found the Japanese much more tasty!’

During a World Cup Football tournament some years ago, an African dictator (Cameroon?) had the returning team shot because they didn't perform well enough!