Bull's Ball Pie


Beef is considered to be a very sexy food, and the ne plus ultra of the bull is his family jewels, often referred to as Rocky Mountain Oysters. Bull penis also features as a love-food, and the Roman writer Paulinus recommended bull urine. Suit yourself.

The chef to Pope Pius V, Bartolomo Scappi, left us this 16th-century recipe for Pie of Bull's Testicles:

"Boil four bull's testicles together with salt. Cut into slices and sprinkle with salt, pepper, nutmeg and cinnamon. Then, in a pie crust, place layers of sliced testicles alternated with mince of lamb's kidneys, ham, marjoram, cloves and thyme."

If you don't have a bull handy, other kinds of testicles will do. In 14th-century Europe, a popular soup for husbands was made of beans and cock's testicles; in the Far East, gents have traditionally consumed tiger testicles, crushed and mixed with rice.



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