Rocky Mountain Oysters: Yay or Nay?

If the article's title comes off as biting, try not to get too testy with me. It wasn't all that long ago that I myself hadn't heard of the oddly named cuisine. As you might imagine, I did what any confused, curious, and admittedly lazy millennial would do—that's right, I Googled it. What populated hit me like a sack of bricks.

According to Urban Dictionary, Rocky Mountain Oysters have several aliases. 

• Prairie oysters
• Mountain tenders
• Calf fries
• Cowboy caviar

All four names describe the same thing, but that one thing can come from multiple somethings. If you're eating or sipping on anything, I highly recommend you clear your throat before you read on. Ready? You sure? Okay...

Rocky Mountain Oysters are deep-fried bull testicles. No bull sh*t.

You read that right. Americans eat balls. The original meat balls, so to speak.

But...why?!

Way back when during the frontier days of the Great West, cowboys and ranchers adhered to a stringent waste-not want-not philosophy. Applied to bulls, that philosophy inspired them to retain the castrated farm jewels of their bulls to eat later. Talk about principled living, right?

"Fried, poached, boiled, and baked—bull balls...they're what's for dinner." 

Okay, I haven't nailed down the slogan, but you get the point. If the puns in this article or the origins of the exotic meal haven't killed your appetite, Boise Yelp users have shared their recommendations with us.

3 Best Boise Restaurants for Rocky Mountain Oysters

1. Indian Creek Steakhouse - 4.5/5 stars || 711 Main St, Caldwell 83605
2. Twigs Bistro - 4.5/5 stars || 3690 E Monarch Meridian Sky Ln, Meridian 83646
3. Anderson Reserve 4.5/5 stars || 7275 Sweet Ola Hwy, Sweet 83670

Happy fine dining, friends!

Not one for eating balls? We get that. Keep scrolling for our best and favorite restaurants! 

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