9 May 2008
Rocky Mountain Oysters a Treat for Baseball Fans
Posted by Debo Hobo under: Sports; Food .
I was reading this article about Baseball Parks and the foods they serve. The gist of the article was that baseball’s traditional fare might be hot dogs and beer, but going out to the ballgame can be a gourmet experience at many parks across the U.S. Which is very true here in the Dallas area our Texas Rangers Ballpark has an all you can eat section, they have an amazing selection of gourmet treats served in the VIP section and they of course have the traditional hotdogs accompanied by the tricked up dog. Let’s not forget the ususal suspects popcorn, peanuts and cracker jacks.
But what really caught my attention in this article was one ball park in particular. Now I want to give fair warning to my gentlemen readers “So take cover”.
The general manager for food and beverages at Coors Field home of the Colorado Rockies (NL) is the first to admit that Rocky Mountain Oysters (buffalo, boar or bull testicles, usually deep-fried) are not for everybody. But they are a local delicacy and they are available for Rockies fans who want them—usually 40-50 people per game.
More popular are the tamales, served with green chiles, from portable carts along the stadium’s concourse. Vegetarian options have caught on recently, with fruit cups, grab-and-go salads, vegetarian wraps, panini, pizzas, burritos and garden burgers rounding out the list.
Coors Field is also home to Blue Moon Brewing Company @ the Sandlot, a brew pub named for the hand-crafted beer that was invented at the field, with a brewery onsite. Blue Moon micro-draft beer is available throughout the park.
Now I have heard about Rocky Mountain Oyster but I never thought they actually existed let alone are eaten as a treat. So what are these Rocky Mountain Oysters? According to wikipedia they are the testicles of varied farm animals that are peeled and then deep fried. Here read for yourself….
Rocky Mountain oysters, mountain oysters, prairie oysters, Montana tender groin or swinging sirloin are North American culinary names given to buffalo, boar or bull testicles. They are usually peeled, coated in flour, pepper and salt, sometimes pounded flat, and then deep-fried.
It is a well-known novelty dish in parts of the American West and the Canadian Prairies where cattle ranching is prevalent. The name is derived from the Rocky Mountains. In Oklahoma and North Texas, they are sometimes called calf fries but only if taken from very young bulls. In many parts of Mexico they are referred to as “criadillas” and are colloquially referred to as huevos del toro (literally, “bull’s eggs” but huevos is also a Spanish slang term for testicles) in Central and South America. Rocky Mountain oysters are sometimes confused with lamb fries or animelles (lamb testicles), which are served in a manner similar to Rocky Mountain oysters. Boar (hog) testicles are served in some Midwest areas such as in Illinois, Indiana, and Iowa. In other countries, testicles are known as sweet meats.
The dish is most commonly found served at festivals, such as the ones in Montana and Phoenix, Arizona, amongst ranching families, or at certain eating establishments and bars that specialize in it. Eagle, Idaho has the “World’s largest Rocky Mountain Oyster feed” during its Eagle Fun Days (typically the first weekend in June).
The primary goal of testicle removal is not necessarily culinary. Castration in veterinary practice is common and serves a variety of purposes, including the control of breeding.
Need more? Be sure to check out this article at Deep End Dining
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7 Comments so far...
Rolando Says:
9 May 2008 at 4:57 pm.
No thanks. I just have a plain good ole American Hot Dog. I have heard of these delicacies but was never curious about them, lol. I’d have to know someone how has tasted them for me to even think about it.
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Sharon Says:
9 May 2008 at 5:57 pm.
Oh, I must remember to ask what I am being fed next time I’m in that region….. I don’t think I’ll ever be a fan of eating bull testicles.
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Sebastian Says:
10 May 2008 at 11:03 am.
I wouldn’t go for that. I would rather have Hot Dog even though I don’t like them.
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Debo Hobo Says:
12 May 2008 at 9:01 am.
Rolando welcome to Debo Hobo and thank you for commenting here. We hope to hear from you again. I am not sure I could get my mind around eating this dish either.
Sharon-I will be doing the same if and when I travel through Colorado or the mid-western plains. I just don’t see the purpose of this dish other than to gross the patrons out.
Sebastian-Yes that would be my first option as well. Although do we really know what is in a hotdog? Yikes! We could have been eating this all along.
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Michelle Gartner Says:
12 May 2008 at 1:26 pm.
I had a male (I think this needs to be pointed out) friend in middle school (yes this was in Denver Colorado) who was just ga ga for grape nuts…
His mother used to serve them at a some of her upscale parties. He once pulled a big bakers pan out of the oven and proceeded to eat the whole pan in front of me and a girlfriend- needless to say I never thought much of the guy after. I mean what kind of freak eats bulls balls. I admit I had a little crush on him prior to the incident- but there’s an old saying in regards to rocky mountain oysters- actually I just made it up.
“Lips that touch animal testicles will never touch mine.”
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Debo Hobo Says:
12 May 2008 at 1:50 pm.
Oh Michelle a truer statement has never been spoken…sounds like your malefriend was ‘full of bull’ after that! LOL:)
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MarketingDeviant Says:
12 May 2008 at 8:30 pm.
That’s some pretty weird delicacy. It is not delicate at all! No thank you to fried animal testicles!
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