The testicles of calves, lambs, roosters, turkeys, and other animals are eaten in many parts of the world, often under euphemistic culinary names. Testicles are a by-product of the castration of young animals raised for meat, so they were originally a late-spring seasonal specialty, [1] though nowadays they are generally frozen and available year-round.
Testicles are cooked in a variety of ways: sautéed and sauced, fricasseed, deep-fried with breading or batter, in pies, poached, roasted, and so on. Before cooking, they are generally scalded, skinned, and soaked in cold water. [2]
In English, testicles are known by a wide variety of euphemisms, including "stones", "Rocky Mountain oysters", and "prairie oysters". [1] [3] Lamb testicles are often called "lamb fries" or simply fries (though that may also refer to other organ meats). [4]
Euphemisms are used in many other languages. In Arabic countries such as Lebanon, Syria and Iraq they are known as baid ghanam and in Turkey they are known as koç yumurtası which in both languages mean 'sheep eggs'. [5]
In some Spanish-speaking countries in Latin America, they are known as criadillas, huevos de toro 'bull eggs'; in Chinese, as Simplified Chinese: 牛宝; Traditional Chinese: 牛寶; Pinyin: niú bǎo 'ox treasures'; in Greek, as αμελέτητα 'unmentionables'; in Hindi, as kapura.
The French terms amourettes (from amour, "love"),animelles or frivolités [6] , the Italian granelli 'granules', and the Spanish and Latin American criadillas 'little maids' began as euphemisms, but have become standard culinary names. [7] [8]
Known as 'prairie oysters' in Canada, they are normally served deep-fried and breaded, with a demi-glace. [9] The dish is especially popular in parts of Canada where cattle ranching is prevalent, and castration of young male animals is common.
Sheep and beef testicles are part of French cuisine. They can be grilled and served à la meunière (with butter, lemon and parsley) and sometimes with white wine and garlic. They are also commonly served breaded and fried [10] .
In Jordan, and Syria, baid ghanam or sheep testicles are grilled and served with lemon juice and parsley.
 | This article may be confusing or unclear to readers. In particular, This section makes no sense.(May 2024) |
In Pakistan, there is a common misconception of eating goat testicles but this originated in Somalia cooked in Tava.
In the United States, bull testicles are usually served breaded and deep-fried as an appetizer, under the name "Rocky Mountain oysters". [11]
Buffalo, boar or bulls' testicles known as criadillas are breaded and fried; [12] In tortilla Sacromonte, a speciality from Granada, lambs' brains and testicles are cooked in an omelette. [13]
Whale testicles, called kujira no kougan (鯨の睾丸) or kinsou (キンソウ), are considered a delicacy in Japan and are generally eaten boiled. The Japanese Wikipedia article at 鯨肉 provides an extensive list of whale tissues eaten, which includes the intestines, sex organs, and other offal.
Bulls testicles is commonly called "Ngầu pín". It is a very common food as it is believed to increase men's sexual ability. [14] [ circular reference ]
After gelding a colt, the testicles are used for ritual purposes. One of the amputated testicles is punctured with a knife so as to permit the insertion of a rope; the rope is then fastened to the new gelding's tail with the assumption that once the testicle has dried, the wound will have finished healing. The remaining testicle is cooked in the hearth ashes and eaten by the head of the household to acquire the strength of the stallion. [15]
Lamb testicles were historically eaten in England where they were referred to as 'fries' or 'stones'. As the name suggests, they were usually fried in butter after being coated in breadcrumbs. However, they are no longer widely eaten and are not available in supermarkets, although they are sold in some Asian butchers and other shops catering to British Muslims. [16]
Lamb testicles in Iran are called donbalān (Persian : دنبلان), a white, fleshy mushroom used as a euphemism. Lamb testicles are consumed mostly as home-cooked meals rather than in restaurants as they are considered haram (forbidden) according to Shia laws, [17] but there are restaurants where lamb testicles are available. In Iran, lamb testicles are mainly skewered and grilled, however in some areas they are shallow fried and served with bread.
The practice of boiling goat testicles in water and reducing the water with repeated additions of sesame is common in India. [18] Ayuverdic texts describes this as a potent drug among other herbo ayurvedic formulations, when discussing treating injury to genital organs. Goat and bull testicles have been consumed prior to Islamic Invasion in India.
Commentaries of the Ashvemedha Yagna, a part of Rigveda Somayajis Tradition, describe consuming horse's entrails including intestines and scrotum along with Soma. There is some controversies about the commentaries, particularly related to orgy, and thus authenticity of the practice can be contested.
Goat and cow testicles are highly priced in Modern India, up to five times the Rung Cut/Prime cut, however testicles are not a mainstream delicacy, and are mostly sold as street food. Some tribes offer goat testicles to their guests, such as Male Lamb Genitalia soup, a popular Andhra Dish,
Satay, or sate in Indonesian spelling, is a Southeast Asian form of kebab made from seasoned, skewered and barbecued meat, served with a sauce.
Sheep meat is one of the most common meats around the world, taken from the domestic sheep, Ovis aries, and generally divided into lamb, from sheep in their first year, hogget, from sheep in their second, and mutton, from older sheep. Generally, "hogget" and "sheep meat" are not used by consumers outside Norway, New Zealand, South Africa, Scotland, and Australia. Hogget has become more common in England, particularly in the North often in association with rare breed and organic farming.
Souvlaki is a Greek fast food consisting of small pieces of meat and sometimes vegetables grilled on a skewer. It is usually eaten straight off the skewer while still hot. It can be served with or inside a rolled pita, typically with lemon, sauces, vegetables such as sliced tomato and onion, and fried potatoes as a side. The meat usually used in Greece and Cyprus is pork.
Offal, also called variety meats, pluck or organ meats, is the internal organs of a butchered animal. The word does not refer to a particular list of edible organs, and these lists of organs vary with culture and region, but usually exclude skeletal muscle. Offal may also refer to the by-products of milled grains, such as corn or wheat.
Rocky Mountain oysters or mountain oysters, or meat balls, also known as prairie oysters in Canada, is a dish made of bull testicles. The organs are often deep-fried after being skinned, coated in flour, pepper and salt, and sometimes pounded flat. The dish is most often served as an appetizer.
Chitterlings, sometimes spelled chitlins or chittlins, are the large intestines of domestic animals. They are usually made from pigs' intestines. They may also be filled with a forcemeat to make sausage. Intestine from other animals, such as cow, lamb, goose, and goat is also used for making chitterling.
A rissole is a small patty enclosed in pastry or rolled in breadcrumbs, usually baked or deep fried. The filling has savory ingredients, most often minced meat, fish or cheese, and is served as an entrée, main course, or side dish.
Lamb fries are lamb testicles used as food. Historically they were parboiled, cut in half, and seasoned. Lamb testicles are served in a variety of cuisines, including Italian, Basque, breaded and fried in some barbecue restaurants, Chinese, Caucasian, Persian and Iranian Armenian, and Turkish. The dish is rarely served at restaurants in the United States, but can occasionally be found at Iranian restaurants.
Cypriot cuisine is the cuisine of the island of Cyprus, shared by both Greek Cypriots and Turkish Cypriots.
A meat chop is a cut of meat cut perpendicular to the spine, and usually containing a rib or riblet part of a vertebra and served as an individual portion. The most common kinds of meat chops are pork and lamb. A thin boneless chop, or one with only the rib bone, may be called a cutlet, though the difference is not always clear. The term "chop" is not usually used for beef, but a T-bone steak is essentially a loin chop, a rib steak and a rib cutlet.
Culinary names, menu names, or kitchen names are names of foods used in the preparation or selling of food, as opposed to their names in agriculture or in scientific nomenclature. The menu name may even be different from the kitchen name. For example, from the 19th until the mid-20th century, many restaurant menus were written in French and not in the local language.
Pig's ear, as food for human consumption, is the cooked ear of pig. It is found in several cuisines around the world.
Goat meat is the meat of the domestic goat. The common name for goat meat is simply "goat meat", while meat from young goats can be called "kid meat", capretto (Italian), and cabrito. In South Asian cuisine, mutton refers to goat meat.
Lamb's fry is lamb offal served as food, including the testicles, liver, sweetbreads, heart, kidneys, and sometimes the brain and abdominal fat—or some combination thereof.
A croquette is a deep-fried roll originating in French cuisine, consisting of a thick binder combined with a filling, which is then breaded. It is served as a side dish, a snack, or fast food worldwide.
A meatball is ground meat (mince) rolled into a ball, sometimes along with other ingredients, such as bread crumbs, minced onion, eggs, butter, and seasoning. Meatballs are cooked by frying, baking, steaming, or braising in sauce. There are many types of meatballs using different types of meats and spices. The term is sometimes extended to meatless versions based on vegetables or fish; the latter are also commonly known as fish balls.
People of some cultures eat octopus. The arms and sometimes other body parts are prepared in various ways, often varying by species and/or geography.
Fried cauliflower is a popular dish in many cuisines of the Middle East, South Asia, Europe, and elsewhere. It may start from raw or cooked cauliflower; it may be dipped in batter or breading; it may be fried in oil, butter, or other fats. It can be served on its own, as a mezze or side dish, or in a sandwich. It is often seasoned with salt, spices, and a variety of sauces, in the Middle East often based on tahini or strained yogurt.
Media related to testicles (meat) at Wikimedia Commons