Just in time for Thanksgiving, I give you the Turkey Testicle Festival. Actually, it was held on October 9, so it's already over this year. But there's always next year to look forward to. I love the motto of the festival: Come and have a ball. Now I never knew that anyone ate turkey testicles, but I'm assuming this is real (that people really do eat them), since I know that sheep testicles are considered delicacies in various places. This festival should think about partnering up with that Cow Manure Tossing contest held in Oklahoma.
Comments
Happy thanksgiving and pass the turkey nuts.
Anatomy of the Corpus vasculare paracloacale of the male turkey.
Knight CE, Bakst MR, Cecil HC.
The copulatory apparatus of the male turkey consists of two parts: the Phallus nonprotrudens, composed of the paired Corpora phallica lateralia and Plicae lymphaticae, and the paired Corpora vascularia paracloacalia. The Corpus vasculare paracloacale receives its vascular supply and drainage from the Arteria (A.) and Vena (V.) pudenda interna, respectively, and its innervation from the Nervus pudendus internus. During sexual stimulation lymph produced in the Corpora vascularia paracloacalia rapidly flows through the lymph sinuses into larger lymph channels located in the Phallus nonprotrudens producing tumescence. With detumescence, the lymph flows cranially from Phallus nonprotrudens into the Vasa lymphatica pudenda interna, which parallels the A. and V. pudenda interna.
Anyway, some of the more down-home type cafes have this item (male turkeys' whatevers) on the menu, generally fried. They usually call this dish "turkey fries," analogous to lamb fries or calf fries, which are about what you'd think.
'Turkey testicles, on the other hand, are "the Rolls-Royce of the
testicle world" '.
It would appear that eating TTs really is, if not commonplace, at least not merely an odd perversion limited to the more obsure Internet paysites. Shaul Mutzafi restaurant in Tel Aviv, for example, certainly has it on the menu - and nothing in this review (http://tinyurl.com/5pjhk) suggests it's listed as a novelty food:
'...if you like turkey testicles, this is a good place to eat them.'
Turkey testicles are also mentiomned - according to this review http://themodernist.com/terminal3/cuisine.html - in 'Unmentionable Cuisine' by Calvin Schwaber; apparently they're good in margueritas:
'...express the organ from its membrane by squeezing it as one would peel a Concord grape.'
There. If that doesn't satisfy the curious...
I think you're supposed to eat the turkey testes WITH margaritas, not IN margaritas.
The book review Paul in Prague mentions is very interesting. Go to it if you want to read about things like sow's nipples stuffed with sea urchin gonads (and who doesn't want to read about sow's nipples stuffed with sea urchin gonads?). There are also a variety of puppy-meat recipes briefly outlined.
Happy Thanksgiving, everybody!
The lodge's cook (formerly a San Francisco gourmet restaurant chef) also prepares several deep fried whole turkeys and plenty of top-notch side dishes, but we pretty much stick to the nuttier end of the menu. About 2" long, the organs in question are prepared several ways: sauteed; marinated and stir-fried; and dipped in buttermilk and flour then deep-fried. Five or six dipping sauces are set out such as soy sauce, sweet-and-sour, cocktail sauce, jelly or marmalade-based dips, and the ever-ubiquitous Ranch dressing.
A couple of local country and blues bands perform outside on the large eating deck. Special games are set up such as a "turkey nut toss" (using appropriately shaped little bean bags tossed through a miniature netted hoop positioned where it counts on a humiliated-looking painted turkey board), a turkey-calling contest, and so on.
We like these little nuggets so much that our freezer contains about 15 lbs. of Foster Farms' best (frozen in water), a special treat that might show up on the plank table in our log home if you ever get up here in the woods to visit and we take a liking to you!
Good stuff, ya wimps.