Rocky Mountain oysters or mountain oysters, or meat balls, also known as prairie oysters in Canada (french: animelles), is a dish made of

bull A bull is an intact (i.e., not castrated) adult male of the species ''Bos taurus'' (cattle). More muscular and aggressive than the females of the same species (i.e., cows), bulls have long been an important symbol in many religions, includin ...

testicles A testicle or testis (plural testes) is the male reproductive gland or gonad in all bilaterians, including humans. It is homologous to the female ovary. The functions of the testes are to produce both sperm and androgens, primarily testostero ...

. The organs are often deep-fried after being skinned, coated in flour, pepper and salt, and sometimes pounded flat. This delicacy is most often served as an appetizer. The dish is served in parts of

Canada Canada is a country in North America. Its ten provinces and three territories extend from the Atlantic Ocean to the Pacific Ocean and northward into the Arctic Ocean, covering over , making it the world's second-largest country by tot ...

, where

cattle Cattle (''Bos taurus'') are large, domesticated, cloven-hooved, herbivores. They are a prominent modern member of the subfamily Bovinae and the most widespread species of the genus ''Bos''. Adult females are referred to as cows and adult ma ...

ranching is prevalent and castration of young male animals is common. "Prairie oysters" is the preferred name in Canada where they are served in a

demi-glace Demi-glace (, 'half glaze') is a rich brown sauce in French cuisine used by itself or as a base for other sauces. The term comes from the French word ''glace'', which, when used in reference to a sauce, means "icing" or "glaze." It is tradition ...

. In Oklahoma and the

Texas Panhandle The Texas Panhandle is a region of the U.S. state of Texas consisting of the northernmost 26 counties in the state. The panhandle is a square-shaped area bordered by New Mexico to the west and Oklahoma to the north and east. It is adjacent to ...

, they are often called calf fries. In

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Argentina Argentina (), officially the Argentine Republic ( es, link=no, República Argentina), is a country in the southern half of South America. Argentina covers an area of , making it the second-largest country in South America after Brazil, th ...

and many parts of

Mexico Mexico (Spanish: México), officially the United Mexican States, is a country in the southern portion of North America. It is bordered to the north by the United States; to the south and west by the Pacific Ocean; to the southeast by Guatema ...

they are referred to as ''criadillas'', and they are colloquially referred to as ''huevos de toro'' (literally, "bull’s eggs"; besides its literal meaning, ''huevos'' is a Spanish slang term for testicles) in Central and South America. Rocky Mountain oysters are sometimes confused because of their appearance with cattle fries or

animelles 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 pro ...

(cattle testicles), which are served in a similar manner. A few other terms, such as "cowboy caviar", "Montana tendergroins", "dusted nuts", "swinging beef", or simply "mountain oysters" may be used. The dish, purportedly cowboy fare, is most commonly found served at festivals, amongst ranching families, or at certain specialty eating establishments and bars. They are, however, also readily available at some public venues (e.g., at

Coors Field Coors Field is a baseball stadium in downtown Denver, Colorado. It is the home field of Major League Baseball's Colorado Rockies. Opened in 1995, the park is located in Denver's Lower Downtown neighborhood, two blocks from Union Station. The ...

during Colorado Rockies baseball games).

Eagle Eagle is the common name for many large birds of prey of the family Accipitridae. Eagles belong to several groups of genera, some of which are closely related. Most of the 68 species of eagle are from Eurasia and Africa. Outside this area, j ...

, Idaho, claims to have the "World's Largest Rocky Mountain Oyster Feed" during its Eagle Fun Days (now held the second weekend in July). Clinton, Montana; Deerfield, Michigan; Huntley, Illinois; Sesser, Illinois; Olean, Missouri;

Severance Severance may refer to: Arts and entertainment * ''Severance'' (film), a 2006 British horror film * ''Severance'' (novel), a 2018 novel by Ling Ma *''Severance'', a 2006 short-story collection by Robert Olen Butler * ''Severance'' (TV series), a ...

, Colorado; and Tiro, Ohio also hold testicle festivals. Rocky Mountain oysters are sometimes served as a prank to those unaware of the origin of these "oysters". They are also considered to be an aphrodisiac by many people. The primary goal of testicle removal is not culinary. Castration in veterinary practice and animal husbandry is common and serves a variety of purposes, including the control of breeding, the growth of skeletal muscle suitable for beef, and temperament alteration.

Similar dishes

Testicles from other animals can also be used in similar dishes. The most common is

lamb fries 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, ...

(not to be confused with lamb's fry which is another term for liver of lamb) made with testicles from castrated sheep. In some cases, pig testicles are used as well to make "pig fries". Another dish found on occasion is turkey fries made from turkey testes. These are sometimes known as "short fries" as well.

In popular culture

* In season 2, episode 4 "Dancing in the Dark" (2008) of the Canadian television series ''

Heartland Heartland or Heartlands may refer to: Businesses and organisations * Heartland Bank, a New Zealand-based financial institution * Heartland Inn, a chain of hotels based in Iowa, United States * Heartland Alliance, an anti-poverty organization i ...

'', Scott Cardinal asks the unexpected guests from the Dude Ranch if they have ever had a prairie oyster, to which they reply "No, but we love seafood". * In season 7, episode 21 "Goodbye Michael" (2011) of the American television series ''

The Office (American TV series) ''The Office'' is an American mockumentary sitcom television series that depicts the everyday work lives of office employees at the Scranton, Pennsylvania, branch of the fictional Dunder Mifflin Paper Company. It aired on NBC from March 24, 20 ...

'', Dwight presents Michael with rocky mountain oysters while atop the Dunder-Mifflin office building. * In season 8, episode 21 "Shawn And Gus Truck Things Up" (2014) of the American television series " Psych", Character replys back to Gus, "Those aren't meatballs, honey. Those are prairie balls." * In season 15, episode 12 "Sunday Supper" (2017) of the American television series ''

Top Chef ''Top Chef'' is an American reality competition television series which premiered on Bravo on March 8, 2006. The show features chefs competing against each other in culinary challenges. The contestants are judged by a panel of professional ch ...

'', the chefs prepared and cooked Rocky Mountain Oysters as a Quickfire Challenge to present it to be judged on '' Top Chef: Colorado''. * In season 5, episode 6 "Chapter 60" (2017) of the American television series ''

House of Cards A house of cards (also known as a card tower or card castle) is a structure created by stacking playing cards on top of each other, often in the shape of a pyramid. "House of cards" is also an expression that dates back to 1645 meaning a structu ...

'', Raymond Tusk offers Mountain oysters to Frank Underwood, to which he replies, "You mean bull's testicles, don't you? I prefer to call things what they are." * In the '' Try Guys'' series ''Without A Recipe'', Eugene uses Rocky Mountain Oysters for his mac and cheese recipe in Episode 16. * In the computer game ''

Far Cry 5 ''Far Cry 5'' is a 2018 first-person shooter, developed by Ubisoft Montreal and Ubisoft Toronto and published by Ubisoft. It is the successor to 2014's ''Far Cry 4'', and the fifth main installment in the ''Far Cry'' series. Set in Hope County ...

'', set in Montana, the side missions "Testy Festy" and "Prairie Oyster Harvest" both revolve (humorously) around the preparation of the ingredients for a fictional festival. * In season 1, episode 1, "What You Want & What You Need" (2022) of the American television series ''

The English The English people are an ethnic group and nation native to England, who speak the English language, a West Germanic language, and share a common history and culture. The English identity is of Anglo-Saxon origin, when they were known in ...

'', there is an extended scene regarding the presentation and consumption of "Prairie Oysters". * In the first chapter of Cormac McCarthy’s “All the Pretty Horses”. Lacey Rawlins asks Jimmy Blevins; “what’s the strangest thing you ever ate?”. Blevins responds “Oysters” and Rawlins questions whether they were mountain oysters or regular.

References

External links

Earles, Jim. "Rocky Mountain Oysters: Expanding on the List of Organ Meats," The Weston A. Price Foundation.

* ttps://sworld.co.uk/02/343/photoalbum/home.html Secret World - Montana: Rocky Mountain oysters
Lakey, Dwight, Songwriter. "Rocky Mountain Oysters," Songwriter Dwight Lakey's (ASCAP) song about Rocky Mountain oysters, © 2007 Brown Barn Publishing & Dwight Lakey, Danville, VT, & Julesburg, CO; All Rights Reserved.
{{DEFAULTSORT:Rocky Mountain Oysters Offal Cuisine of the Western United States Appetizers Cowboy culture Testicle Texan cuisine Oklahoma cuisine Mexican cuisine Central American cuisine South American cuisine Deep fried foods Beef dishes Canadian cuisine Cuisine of the Southwestern United States Cuisine of Western Canada

Similar dishes

In popular culture

See also

References

External links