Serbia’s World Testicle Cooking Festival

This next fun-filled festival article I’m putting out there for the truly hardcore foodies.  When you get tired of trying the exotic grub of the world and want to try your hand at an entire event dedicated to brave eating, then check out the World Testicle Cooking Festival in the small mountain town of Ozrem, Serbia.  Even if you can’t keep it down, you’re guaranteed to gain some serious respect for munching on these all day.

Testicles, usually referred to as “white kidneys” in Serbia, hold a special place in the country as the food of choice for those that want to give themselves a sexual boost.  Naturally, they decided to organize a cook-off to see what great meals could be prepared from these unique meats.  It was first started up in 2005, but has been running strong and getting bigger every year (the crowds, that is… not the testicles).  More tourists are filtering in to both watch the spectacle and enjoy a few bites themselves.

Chefs come from all over the country to prove their prowess at testicle preparation.  They come in singles, in pairs and in full teams of cooks.  Each chef or team of chefs is looking to make the biggest impact and take home the coveted title of champion.

On the menu are testicles from a wide variety of creatures, including bulls, boars, pigs, ostriches, turkeys and even kangaroos.  They are prepared in a wide number of ways, such as testicle goulash, shish kabob testicles on a stick and, that old classic, testicle pizza.  For the unstable of stomach, there are some more “regular” foods to be had as well, so you don’t need to worry about starving if testicles aren’t your thing.  And, of course, there is plenty of wine and beer to wash it all down with, whether to remove the trauma from your memory or to gather some liquid courage for another round of munching.

The eating and drinking is accompanied with a variety of entertainments.  Live music is playing most of the day, there are bow and arrow shooting lessons, demonstrations and contests, and many games are organized to keep people having fun.  In keeping with the theme of the festival, each year they hand out an honorary award to the person in the world that they feel has proven themselves to be the “ballsiest.”

This year the World Testicle Cooking Festival will be taking place on September 1, though most show up early and stay a little late to experience all the other things that happen during this celebratory weekend.  If you think you got the balls, check out the festival and prove your mettle.

Testicles Cooked Up courtesy of soshiok.com