Lamb Fries Aren't Actually Made From Potatoes

Lamb fries aren't actually made from potatoes or mixed with lamb gyro meat, feta, and tzatziki sauce as the euphemistic name might imply. Lamb fries are in fact lamb testicles, and as is the case with most testicle-based cuisine, they are not for the faint of heart nor have they become part of the mainstream culinary culture in America. They are probably more often something you would eat on a dare, or unwittingly consume as part of a devious "Jackass"-style prank.

Similarly, you might have had a friend once jokingly ask you whether you would like to sample some Rocky Mountain oysters. It sounded a little fishy since you don't typically associate the mountains with seafood, but hey, you're adventurous and it comes sliced, breaded, and fried with a ranch dipping sauce. You soon learned, much to your surprise, that Rocky Mountain oysters are not in fact a species of alpine bivalve, but rather bull testicles. And much like Rocky Mountain oysters, you might not recognize lamb fries in their cooked state, since they are commonly prepared by cutting them into strips, breading, and frying them.

Although you won't find lamb fries on most restaurant menus, they are still occasionally served at festivals in parts of the West and Midwest and are used in Basque and Italian cuisine. And there are places you can buy them online as well. Frankie's Free Range Meat, which sells lamb fries, notes that they are an excellent source of zinc. This is good, because zinc offers a number of health benefits to the body, including bolstering the immune system, and, as an antioxidant it can help reduce the risk of chronic disease.

If you're worried more about the strong flavor  – Webstaurant Store describes it as "pastoral" and "lamby" — and you want to get creative, you can even make smoked lamb fries, which Shepherd Song Farm compares to the taste of smoked ham. They apparently go well paired with crackers as part of a charcuterie board, and they are sure to be a hot topic of conversation at your next cocktail party. Whether you eat lamb fries for the health benefits or just as a gag, at least you'll be contributing to using all of the animal and not creating any unnecessary waste.