Criadillas

Here is one of the more striking differences in culture between the U.K. and Argentina. If you go to the butchers, especially in the less affluent areas, you will find a greater selection of meats than you would find in the U.K. For example these:

They are called criadillas and are, in fact, pigs testicles. Well, I had to try them didn’t I? Curiosity got the better of me. And, they were quite pleasant. They were quite fatty and rich in taste. I was advised to cook them with garlic which I duly did.

Had I been served them not knowing what they were, I would not have battered an eye-lid.

I can remember as a kid watching Countryfile with Jack Hargreaves. He was explaining with great enthusiasm how every single bit of the cow was used a few decades before and lamenting the fact that so much got wasted in his day. I don’t know what we do with pigs testicles in the U.K. I’ve never seen them on offer in the local supermarket. Perhaps we would do well to reintroduce such things but would the British have the stomach for them?

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