With the holiday season in full swing, Indians are flocking to the online marketplace in droves. But there's one unusual item flying off the virtual shelves: Online retailers² say cow dung patties are selling like hot cakes.

随着假日季的到来, 印度人开始大量地网上购物。但网上出现了一样非常奇特的商品：牛粪饼。在线零售商说牛粪饼像热烤饼一样畅销。

The patties -- cow poop mixed with hay and dried in the sun, made mainly by women in rural areas and used to fuel fires -- have long been available in India's villages. But online retailers including Amazon and eBay are now reaching out to the country's ever-increasing urban population.

将牛粪与干草混合后，在阳光下晒干即可制成这种饼，它们大多是由农村妇女制作的，主要用来生火，长期以来在印度农村地区一直有售。但是包括亚马逊（Amazon）和易趣（eBay）在内的在线零售商如今面向的消费群体是印度不断增长的城市人口。

Some retailers say they're offering discounts for large orders. Some customers are asking for gift wrapping.

一些零售商说他们对大订单都有优惠，有些顾客还会要求礼品包装。

"Cow dung cakes have been listed by multiple sellers on our platform since October and we have received several customer orders" since then, said Madhavi Kochar, an Amazon India spokeswoman.

亚马逊印度区女发言人麦德哈维·可切儿说：“自10月份以来，许多卖家开始销售牛粪饼，也接到了几个客户订单。”

The orders come mostly from cities where it would be difficult to buy dung cakes, she said.

她说大部分买家是城里人，因为城里的市面上很难买到牛粪饼。

In India, where Hindus have long worshipped cows as sacred, cow dung cakes have been used for centuries for fires, whether for heating, cooking or Hindu rituals. Across rural India, piles of drying cow dung are ubiquitous.

在印度，印度教徒长期以来都将牛视为圣物，在长达几个世纪的时间里，不论是取暖、做饭或是举行宗教仪式，都要用到牛粪饼。整个印度农村地区，干牛粪堆随处可见。

Radhika Agarwal of ShopClues, a major online retailer¹ in India, said demand for the cow dung cakes spiked³ during the recent Diwali season, a time when Hindus conduct prayer ceremonies at their homes, factories and offices. On a recent day, ShopClues' website showed that the patties had sold out.

印度主要电商“店踪”（ShopClues）的拉迪卡·阿加瓦尔说，最近随着排灯节（Diwali）的到来，人们要在家中、工厂、或办公室里举行祈祷仪式，这使得牛粪饼的需求量激增。最近某一天，“店踪”网站显示那天的牛粪饼销售告罄。

"Around Diwali, when people do a lot of pujas in their homes and workplaces, there is a lot of demand for cow dung cakes," said Agarwal, referring to rituals performed during the popular festival.

提到这个盛大节日的宗教仪式时，阿加瓦尔说：“排灯节期间，人们要在家中或工作地点做多次礼拜，对牛粪饼的需求量很大。”

"Increasingly, in the cold weather, people are keeping themselves warm by lighting⁴ fires" using them, she said, adding that people who grew up in rural areas find the peaty smell of dung fires pleasant.

“天变冷了，人们也要需要更多的牛粪饼来点火取暖。”她还说道农村长大的人更喜欢闻牛粪燃烧时那种泥煤似的味道。

"It reminds them of the old days," she said.

“这让他们回想起以前的时光。”她说。

The cakes are sold in packages that contain two to eight pieces weighing 200 grams (7 ounces) each. Prices range from 100 to 400 rupees ($1.50 to $6) per package.

牛粪饼以包装形式出售，每包装有两到八个重200克（7盎司）的粪块儿，价钱从100到400卢比（1.50到6美元）不等。

Dung cakes are also used as organic manure⁵, and some sellers are marketing⁶ them for use in kitchen gardens.

牛粪饼还可以当有机化肥使用，有些商家把它作为厨房菜园用品营销。