Recently in Food Category

I found this in the local ads today, thought it was kind of funny that they had cok in a jar on sale.

ELDERON, Wis. - Around here, it may be tough to pass up anything deep-fried.

Wisconsinites have deep-fried cheese curds, candy bars and Twinkies. They now have deep-fried livestock testicles, too.

More than 300 people paid $5 for all-you-can-eat goat, lamb and bull testicles Saturday at the ninth annual Testicle Festival at Mama's Place Bar and Grill in Elderon in central Wisconsin.

"Once you get over the mental (aspect) of what you're eating, it's just like eating any other food, and it tastes good," Buster Hoffman said.

Festival founder Nancy Fenske said the festival grew out of her late husband Roger's birthday party 12 years ago. They decided to have "a nut fry" at Mama's Place after bringing back lamb fries from a trip to Montana.

The event grew every year and now they fry up to 100 pounds of testicles, she said.

"What else can you do in a small town?" Fenske said.

Butch Joubert, 58, likes the parts sandwiched between bread with tartar sauce. They're not so different from regular meatballs also served at the festival, he said.

"After a few beers, you can't really tell the difference," Joubert said.

LOL! Figures it's in Wisconsin! ;-)

Read more: Frog juice dubbed 'Peruvian Viagra' - CNN.com

via: EVERiBODi LAFU ROJAKS: China's Exotic Food - Frog Juice

Here's the scoop... (via Wikipedia)

A balut (Tr?ng v?t l?n or H?t v?t l?n in Vietnamese), Pong tea khon in Cambodia is a fertilized duck egg with a nearly-developed embryo inside that is boiled and eaten in the shell. They are considered delicacies of Asia and especially the Philippines, Cambodia, and Vietnam. Popularly believed to be an aphrodisiac and considered a high-protein, hearty snack, baluts are mostly sold by street vendors at night in the regions where they are available. They are often served with beer. The Filipino and Malay word balut(balot) roughly translates to mean "wrapped".

Balut are most often eaten with a pinch of salt, though some balut-eaters prefer chili and vinegar to complement their egg. The eggs are savored for their balance of textures and flavors; the broth surrounding the embryo is sipped from the egg before the shell is peeled and the yolk and young chick inside can be eaten. All of the contents of the egg are consumed. In the Philippines, Balut have recently entered higher cuisine by being served as appetizers in restaurants: cooked adobo style, fried in omelettes or even used as filling in baked pastries.

Balut-making is not native to the Philippines. A similar preparation is known in China as maodan (Chinese: pinyin: m'od'n; literally "hairy egg"), and Chinese traders and migrants are said to have brought the idea of eating fertilized duck eggs to the Philippines. However, the knowledge and craft of balut-making has been localized by the balut-makers (mangbabalut). Today, balut production has not been mechanized in favor of the traditional production by hand. Although balut are produced throughout the Philippines, balut-makers in Pateros are renowned for their careful selection and incubation of the eggs.

Fertilized duck eggs are kept warm in the sun and stored in baskets to retain warmth. After nine days, the eggs are held to a light to reveal the embryo inside. Approximately eight days later the balut are ready to be cooked, sold, and eaten. Vendors sell cooked balut out of buckets of sand, used to retain warmth, and are accompanied by small packets of salt. Uncooked balut are rarely sold in Southeast Asia. In the United States, many Asian markets occasionally carry uncooked balut eggs, though their demand in North America is not very great. The cooking process is identical to that of hard-boiled chicken eggs, and baluts are enjoyed while still warm.

Can it really be a nasty as it looks??? Click for a larger view if you wish...

Post your guess in the comments!!!

Get your photo on a bottle of Jones Soda and order your custom 12-pack flavor here

Thanks JH!

Graphic fact file on the civet cat, the species believed to have sparked the 2003 outbreak of Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome, is back on the menu in southern China, a state press report has said. Several restaurants have been caught selling civet cat and other wild animals banned by health authorities after the breakout of SARS, the China Daily reported.(AFP)

Read more: SARS-linked civet cats back on the menu in China - Yahoo! News

PHILADELPHIA Thousands woke up before the sun to take part in an event involving a set of scantily clad women and a group of voracious eaters, Wing Bowl 15.

An estimated 20,000 dedicated fans were in the Wachovia Center parking lot by 4 a.m. with a drink in their hand and a need to watch hundreds of wings be devoured.

The annual wing eating contest is organized by CBS 3 sister radio station Sports Radio 610 WIP.

“It is Philly. Where else at 6 ‘o’clock in the morning can you get 20,000 drunk guys,” said Wing Bowl Commissioner Pat Croce.

This year’s theme was “Philadelphia vs. The World,” where 20 local competitors hoped to take a bite out of five professional eaters from the International Federation of Competitive Eaters.

Local favorites, including the Beast from the Northeast and Steakbelly, paraded around the floor of the Wachovia Center as they made their way to take on the defending champion, professional eater Joey Chestnut of San Jose, California.

The eaters had 30 minutes to eat as many chicken wings as inhumanly possible

The top Philadelphia-area eater was Gentleman Jerry of Clifton Heights, Pa., who ate 167 wings, finishing fourth overall and winning a new car.

Despite a valiant effort, the local chomps could not bring down Chestnut, who polished of a staggering 182 wings, setting a new Wing Bowl record and earning his crown as Wing King.

“I love to eat. Once I get into a rhythm, I can push my body and make my body forget all the feeling. Today I was swallowing wings and swallowing bones, whatever it took,” Chestnut said.

Along with his champion status, Chestnut was also awarded a Suzuki Grand Vitara from Matt Blatt Dealerships.

Aside from the event itself, many are drawn to the “Wingettes,” a group of scantily clad women who help feed the contestants.

The top Wingette received a trip to Punta Cana or Cancun.

http://cbs2chicago.com/watercooler/watercooler_story_033150910.html

Fried Groundhog

1 Woodchuck
1 tb Salt
1 c Flour
4 tb Fat
1/2 ts Salt
1/4 ts Pepper

1. Skin and clean Groundhog and cut into 6 or 7 pieces

2. Put in pot, add salt and enough water to cover and parboil for 1 hour.

3. Remove meat from the broth, and drain.

4. Dredge meat in flour, salt and pepper.

5. Melt fat in heavy fry pan and saute woodchuck until nicely browned.

Serves 6

From _Northern Cookbook_ edited by Eleanor A. Ellis. Information Canada, Ottawa 1973.

typos by Bert Christensen
Toronto, Ontario

web site: http://bertc.com

TALLAHASSEE, Fla. She hasn't been officially named "Lucky," but a duck in Tallahassee, Fla., should receive that designation after surviving one heck of an ordeal.

Shot by a hunter, the duck was destined for the dinner table and placed inside a frigid refrigerator. But destiny was intercepted when two days later the hunter's wife opened the fridge and the duck lifted its head.

The man's wife "was going to check on the refrigerator because it hadn't been working right and when she opened the door, it looked up at her," said Laina Whipple, a receptionist at Killearn Animal Hospital.

The 1-pound female ring-neck ended up at Goose Creek Wildlife Sanctuary, where it has been treated since Tuesday for wounds to its wing and leg.

Noni Beck, a wildlife rehabilitator said: "the duck just lifted her head and I'm sure she kind of freaked but they wanted to get help for her."

Sanctuary veterinarian David Hale said it has about a 75 percent chance of survival, but probably won't ever be well enough to be released back into the wild.

He said the duck, which has a low metabolism, could have survived in a big enough refrigerator, especially if the door was opened and closed several times. And he said he understands how the hunter thought the duck was dead.

"This duck is very passive," Hale said. "It's not like trying to pick up a Muscovy at Lake Ella, where you put your life in your hands."

http://cbs2chicago.com/watercooler/watercooler_story_021100130.html

A Minnesota roaster is serving offering the most expensive coffee in the world, but price isn't the only reason people might shy away from it.

An 8-ounce cup of Kopi Luwak coffee sells for $10 at Jim Cone's "Coffee and Tea Limited" store in Minneapolis. One-pound bags go for $420.

Roastmaster Jim Cone told CBS News: "We roast it to, ah, about 420 degrees. It's a very rich, ah, cup of coffee, very chocolaty, ah, actually a carmelly taste around the bottom of your tongue."

Kopi Luwak comes from Indonesia and is also called Civet coffee because the beans are eaten by Civet cats. The cats love red coffee beans, especially the skin. It's this exterior that's processed in the cat's digestive system and discharged.

Cone said, "There's a skin on the pulp and that's what's really digested in their system. And the bean is inside that. After they've processed them in their body, uh, people pick them up and clean 'em."

"I'm trying to block that thought from my head at the moment," said coffee drinker Alex Danzberger.

Kopi Luwak isn't offered at major chains like Starbucks, which is probably just as well for the average coffee drinker.

"I'm really interested because of the way that it's processed," said, coffee lover Bonnie Riley. "Very tasteful. It has a lot of body."

Danzberger said, "It's very rich and soft, ah, real full-bodied. Um, there's definitely a different flavor to it, and you can't quite describe what it is. I hate to think what it is, but it's, um, very good."

"There's not much of it available," Cone said, "It's a unique product."

He added, "You have to have an army of Civet cats to pick this stuff an process it."

http://cbs2chicago.com/watercooler/watercooler_story_008074748.html

Wastedmitch basically got it right. I'm not sure if it's sweet and sour rat since I can't and won't taste it! ;-)

Click to view the full size preparation of this gruesome meal...

Vietnamese women sell roast dog at a streetcorner market in Hanoi in this January 5, 2006 file photo. Dogs, bats, Kentucky Fried Chicken and barramundi will grace dinner tables across the Asia Pacific this Christmas, a festival celebrated with lots of cheer, and very little turkey, in this mainly non-Christian region. (Claro Cortes IV/Reuters)

Read more: It's Christmas! Have a little more bat meat! - Yahoo! News

WHEATON -- A senior at Wheaton North High School last week ejaculated into a bottle of ranch salad dressing and left it on a condiments cart in the upperclassmen's cafeteria, school officials said Thursday.

The student returned the bottle to the cafeteria's condiments cart Dec. 6.

A Wheaton North High School senior who ejaculated into a salad dressing bottle and returned it to the cafeteria is facing disciplinary action.
Danielle Gardner / Staff photographer
Sodexho, the school's food service provider, requires that condiment containers be emptied and washed every other day.

However, Principal Jill Bullo said company officials are unsure whether the container was washed Wednesday after lunch. If it was not, students would have been exposed to its contents during the last two lunch periods Dec. 6 and all five on Dec. 7, after which the container definitely would have been cleaned, Bullo said. At the very least, students would have been using the bottle's contents during fourth- and fifth-period lunch on Dec. 6.

The student confessed to contaminating the bottle Tuesday, school officials said, adding it is unknown whether anyone ate the salad dressing or has become sick from it, school officials said.

Apparently the student bragged to friends about a prank he had done during his lunch period Dec. 6, and one of them told school leaders Tuesday, said Gary T. Catalani, Wheaton Warrenville School District 200 superintendent.

"We've taken very severe measures against this student," Catalani said.

http://www.suburbanchicagonews.com/napervillesun/news/173797,6_1_NA15_SALAD_S1.article

Click to watch the news clip...

Glenview, Ill. -- Reindeer is now an ingredient in hot dogs being served-up at Fredhots and Fries in Glenview...and they're quite popular with the locals.

In this image released by Shelton Brothers, the design for a beer bottle label is shown. In a complaint filed in U.S. District, Shelton Brothers accuses the Maine Bureau of Liquor Enforcement of censorship for denying applications for labels for Santa's Butt Winter Porter and two other beers it wants to sell in Maine. The episode is reminiscent of last year when Connecticut told Shelton Brothers it had problems with its Seriously Bad Elf ale. (AP Photo/Shelton Brothers)

Read more: Ho? Ho? Ho? Maine says no to Santa label - Yahoo! News

While many people are dreaming of their traditional Thanksgiving turkey dinner this month, some people in the suburbs – and now the city, too – are looking forward to a turkey dinner of a different sort.

The Chicago area can say proudly it is now the home to two turkey testicle festivals.

The original festival, where the delicacy is served deep fried, takes place on Thanksgiving in northwest suburban Huntley.

But CBS 2 news partner the Northwest Herald reports there is new competition in Chicago. Hi-Tops, at 3551 N. Sheffield Ave. in Wrigleyville, will host its own turkey testicle festival this coming Saturday.

The Wrigleyville festival runs from 3 p.m. until the bar closes, and six live bands will appear. A $10 donation benefits the Lance Armstrong Foundation.

http://cbs2chicago.com/watercooler/local_story_317072557.html

I just devoured 2. Man are they good!

Kettle Chips launches mature cheddar with Adnams Broadside flavou

Beer and crisps are a match made in heaven, but Kettle Foods is treading bold new ground with its new beer flavoured crisp.

Kettle Chips mature cheddar with Adnams Broadside flavour combines two pub staples the Southwold brewer's beer with a strong ploughman's cheese.

Kettle Foods marketing director Peter Wilson said: "To our knowledge, this is the UK's first ever real beer-flavoured chip. As such, it will appeal to all lovers of good English ale.

"We couldn't use just any old beer; we had to use the award-winning Broadside from our friendly neighbours at Adnams in Southwold - just a short trip from Kettle's home in Norwich."

A 62-year-old retired accountant from Nevada swallowed 247 peppers in eight minutes to win the Jalapeno Eating World Championship at the State Fair of Texas.

Richard (The Locust) LeFevre won $2,000 for prevailing in Sunday's contest, which was sponsored by the International Federation of Competitive Eating.

"I love to eat, and I love to compete, so the two go pretty well together," said LeFevre, the world's eighth-ranked eater according to the federation.

LeFevre was one of four professional eaters who took the top four places in the competition.

Dr. Daniel DeMarco, a gastroenterologist and director of endoscopy at Baylor University Medical Center at Dallas, said the amount of jalapenos consumed in an eating contest is more harmful than the burn.

"It's really pretty stupid," DeMarco said. "Like any sort of abuse of your body, it doesn't make any sense."

He said long-term complications are unlikely, but there are some risks.

"If they get sick, they're going to be vomiting it up, and that can cause esophageal tears," he said.

http://cbs2chicago.com/watercooler/watercooler_story_282083616.html

Women dressed in traditional Bavarian clothes enjoy their beer in a beer tent during the 173rd Oktoberfest, the biggest beer festival in the world, in Munich, October 2, 2006. Germans, in party mood after the World Cup and cheered by a pickup in the economy, have 18 days to consume millions of litres of beer and hundreds of thousands of sausages as the festival has been extended to include October 3 public holiday. REUTERS/Alexandra Beier (GERMANY)

Breeders of crickets say the insects have become "finger food for beer drinkers" in an age of increasing prosperity in Vietnam compared with the recent past when they might have been food for the hungry or for wartime soldiers surviving in the jungle.

Businessman Le Thanh Tung raises hundreds of thousands of the flying insects in barrels and sells them to restaurants in Ho Chi Minh City, the Southeast Asian country's largest urban area, or to other breeders in neighbouring provinces.

"The taste is very particular, very special and it smells good and tastes delicious but it is very difficult to compare cricket to other meat," said Tung, 28, suggesting that crickets are an acquired taste.

At his small farm and restaurant about 25 km (16 miles) west of the city center, a plastic-covered menu with photographs of cricket dishes offers "young crickets deep fried," "cricket salad," "breaded cricket," "cricket noodle" and "peppered cricket."

http://www.news.com.au/story/0,23599,20478296-13762,00.html

Why wait in line when you can just eat a cockroach? That's the question Six Flags Great America is asking its thrill seekers during its Halloween-themed FrightFest. The amusement park is daring customers to eat a live Madagascar hissing cockroach in exchange for unlimited line-jumping privileges.

The promotion, which has Lake County Health Department officials shaking their heads, starts Oct. 7.

Anyone who chows down the entire 2- to 3-inch horned cockroach gets a pass for four people to cut to the front of ride lines through Oct. 29.

Park officials insist it's safe to eat the crunchy critters, but health officials are cautioning participants.

Consuming live roaches might increase risks of gastrointestinal illness and allergies, according to Bill Mays, Lake County Health Department's community health director.

Cockroach eaters will have to sign waivers and still pay admission fees, said Six Flags spokesman James Taylor.

The bug buffet continues with a cooked roach eating contest Oct. 13 -- Friday, Oct. 13.

Taylor says he's hoping someone can beat the 2001 Guinness Book of World Records feat in which a British man downed 36 cockroaches.

"I've heard people say, 'Wow,' 'Ew,' a lot of one-worders," Taylor said. "A lot have said that they wouldn't eat a cockroach, but they sure would like to see someone else do it."

http://www.southflorida.com/news/sns-ap-eat-a-roach-promotion,0,276239.story?coll=sfla-news-fringe