You Might Not Want To Know What Rocky Mountain Oysters REALLY Are

Don’t gave the the word “oyster” in “Rocky Mountain oyster” clown you into thinking it’s a briny bivalve. When it comes to these “oysters”( also known as Prairie Oysters ), seafood is not involved.

In fact this dish originated in the North American West, far from any ocean. Established by ranchers, Rocky Mountain oysters are in fact, most famously, policeman testicles. Though sheep, bison and swine can be used, too.

By Vincent Diamante from Los Angeles CA USA Wikimedia Commons Rocky Mountain oysters.

Let us explain how this dish came to be.

Ranchers yearly dehorn, label and castrate their springtime calves this keeps members of the herd from one another, and from disabling the ranchers themselves. At the end of a era of castrating, large-scale ranches can end up with over a hundred testicles. In the spirit of not wasting, the ranchers made use of them by cooking and ingesting them. It just made financial sense.

Traditionally, the testicles were thrown on the branding coals or cast-iron to cook, but these days they’re more commonly breaded and deep fried. In Montana, “theres” carnivals dedicated to this dish the most famous being Testy Festy, where 50, 000 pounds of testes are devoured on average.

Rocky Mountain oysters are just one example of the culture of devouring organ meat. In Peru, beef heart known as anticuchos is a common street meat option. Calf brain is chewed in many countries. And in fact, the Rocky Mountains aren’t the only target in the world that chows down on testicles.

If you’re feeling ready to dig into offal, we have just the recipes you need to get started.

1 Chicken Fried Sweetbread Nuggets

Spoon Fork Bacon

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1 Chicken Fried Sweetbread Nuggets

Spoon Fork Bacon

2 Grilled Chicken Hearts With Parsley Vinaigrette

Palate/ Palette/ Plate

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2 Grilled Chicken Hearts With Parsley Vinaigrette

Palate/ Palette/ Plate

3 Sweetbread Terrine With Sauce Poivron

Cooking in Sens

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3 Sweetbread Terrine With Sauce Poivron

Cooking in Sens

4 Tuscan Chicken Liver Pat

Sarah Shatz/ Food5 2

Get the Tuscan Chicken Liver Pat recipe from Food5 2

4 Tuscan Chicken Liver Pat

Sarah Shatz/ Food5 2

5 Beef Heart With Chimichurri Sauce

Phoenix Helix

Get the Beef Heart with Chimichurri Sauce recipe from Phoenix Helix The flavor of beef middle is so mild that lots of people use it as a substitution for steak, or grind it into burgers. The texture is a bit denser than other cuts of beef, but it is totally delicious and full of vitamins and minerals.

5 Beef Heart With Chimichurri Sauce

Phoenix Helix

The flavor of beef heart is so mild that lots of people use it as a substitution for steak, or grind it into burgers. The quality is a bit denser than other the reduction of beef, but it is totally delicious and full of vitamins and minerals.

6 Vietnamese-Style Spicy Pig Ear Salad

vrunka/ Food5 2

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6 Vietnamese-Style Spicy Pig Ear Salad

vrunka/ Food5 2

7 Sherried Chicken Livers On Wilted Greens

TASTE

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7 Sherried Chicken Livers On Wilted Greens

TASTE

8 Foie Gras Au Gros Sel

cristinasciarra/ Food5 2

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8 Foie Gras Au Gros Sel

cristinasciarra/ Food5 2

9 Steak And Kidney Mini Pies

Sarah Trivuncic

Get the Steak and Kidney Mini Pies recipe from Maison Cupcake

9 Steak And Kidney Mini Pies

Sarah Trivuncic

10 Braised Pork Cheek Ravioloni

Emiko Davies

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10 Braised Pork Cheek Ravioloni

Emiko Davies

11 Menudo

No Recipes

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11 Menudo

No Recipes

12 Beef Tripe Sauce Chasseur With Angel Hair

A Beautiful Day

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12 Beef Tripe Sauce Chasseur With Angel Hair

A Beautiful Day

13 Chickpeas With Blood Sausage, Pine Nuts,& Raisins

wildgreens/ Food5 2

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13 Chickpeas With Blood Sausage, Pine Nuts,& Raisins

wildgreens/ Food5 2

14 Deep South Dirty Rice And Shrimp Stuffing

New Media Publishing

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14 Deep South Dirty Rice And Shrimp Stuffing

New Media Publishing

15 Red Wine Braised Beef Tongue Tacos

What Jew Wanna Eat

Get the Red Wine Braised Beef Tongue Tacos recipe from What Jew Wanna Eat

15 Red Wine Braised Beef Tongue Tacos

What Jew Wanna Eat

16 Sauted Calves Liver With Onions And Bacon

Flat Art Studios