Sweet treat? Dog poop-shaped desserts are the new craze in Thailand

Bangkok: It might turn some stomachs, but a dessert-maker in Thailand has been flooded with orders ever since she started crafting gelatinous sweets into the shape - and colour - of dog poop. Thankfully, not taste.

"It's strange, no-one else makes poop shapes. People like it!," Wilaiwan Mee-Nguen told AFP from the small kitchen in her Bangkok home, where she whips up the unusual confection made of coconut milk, gelatin and food colouring.

The 30-year-old office worker, who spends weekends working on her small side business, had experimented with a range of moulds for her sugary treats before she struck gold several months ago.

It all started when a customer requested an "unusual shape" and Wilaiwan decided to do something especially eye-catching.

"They've mostly seen flower shapes, so this looks funny to Thai people," she explained.

Now the 'dog poop' desserts have become one of her most popular items, with the intrepid baker selling around 1,000 turd-shaped cakes a month for just under $1 a pop. Wilaiwan expects the buzz to pick up even further as Thai TV stations line up outside her suburban home for interviews after images of the highly realistic-looking concoctions went viral on social media.

But not everyone is a fan, she admits. "When I post on my Facebook page customers can see these desserts... There are people who like and some who dislike it."