Asia's libido boosting foods

Published October 5, 2013
A dish of animal penis at a restaurant in Beijing.  "Eating penises and testicles can make a man stronger and enjoy a wonderful sex life," said Li.
A dish of animal penis at a restaurant in Beijing. "Eating penises and testicles can make a man stronger and enjoy a wonderful sex life," said Li.
A cook preparing a dish of animal penis in the kitchen of a hotpot restaurant in Beijing.  Penises and testicles from donkey, goat, dog, bull and deer, the other contributors to the $200 feast, are laid out on a kitchen table, like a sorry-looking row of odd-sized sausages and veiny, oval vegetables, all waiting to be sliced up by his looming, intimidating cleaver.
A cook preparing a dish of animal penis in the kitchen of a hotpot restaurant in Beijing. Penises and testicles from donkey, goat, dog, bull and deer, the other contributors to the $200 feast, are laid out on a kitchen table, like a sorry-looking row of odd-sized sausages and veiny, oval vegetables, all waiting to be sliced up by his looming, intimidating cleaver.
A dish of animal penis being prepared by a cook in the kitchen of a hotpot restaurant in Beijing.  Sourced from some of Asia's wildest and most rugged terrains, the organs are chopped up before being arranged on a bed of lettuce around an elaborate glass stand, more akin to something that might display fairy cakes or scones in a high-class cake shop.
A dish of animal penis being prepared by a cook in the kitchen of a hotpot restaurant in Beijing. Sourced from some of Asia's wildest and most rugged terrains, the organs are chopped up before being arranged on a bed of lettuce around an elaborate glass stand, more akin to something that might display fairy cakes or scones in a high-class cake shop.
(From Right to Left) the penis of horse, donkey, deer, Russian dog and goat in the kitchen of a hotpot restaurant in Beijing.
(From Right to Left) the penis of horse, donkey, deer, Russian dog and goat in the kitchen of a hotpot restaurant in Beijing.
A cook preparing a dish of animal penis in the kitchen of a hotpot restaurant in Beijing.  The unique dishes at Guolizhuang, China's only penis speciality restaurant chain, are popular among business parties and government officials, Li Yanzhi, manager of the Chaoyang branch, told AFP.
A cook preparing a dish of animal penis in the kitchen of a hotpot restaurant in Beijing. The unique dishes at Guolizhuang, China's only penis speciality restaurant chain, are popular among business parties and government officials, Li Yanzhi, manager of the Chaoyang branch, told AFP.
A bathroom in a hotpot restaurant in Beijing.  The vast majority of customers are male, many of them searching for increased potency and sexual prowess at the restaurant, which also serves organs from ram, yak, seal and snake -- which have two penises each.
A bathroom in a hotpot restaurant in Beijing. The vast majority of customers are male, many of them searching for increased potency and sexual prowess at the restaurant, which also serves organs from ram, yak, seal and snake -- which have two penises each.
A waitress preparing a dish of animal penis at a hotpot restaurant in Beijing. There is no orthodox scientific evidence for such claims, but across Asia there are various versions that come with similar boasts.
A waitress preparing a dish of animal penis at a hotpot restaurant in Beijing. There is no orthodox scientific evidence for such claims, but across Asia there are various versions that come with similar boasts.
A waitress preparing a dish of animal penis at a hotpot restaurant in Beijing. "Chinese people believe we can replenish different parts of our bodies by using the same ingredients, which means whatever you eat is nutritious for that part of your body," said Li.
A waitress preparing a dish of animal penis at a hotpot restaurant in Beijing. "Chinese people believe we can replenish different parts of our bodies by using the same ingredients, which means whatever you eat is nutritious for that part of your body," said Li.
A waitress standing outside a private room at a hotpot restaurant in Beijing. In Pakistan's business capital Lahore, Takatak -- a dish whose name is derived from the sound of the clanging knives used to make it -- consists of chopped goat and sheep hearts, brains, kidneys and testes.
A waitress standing outside a private room at a hotpot restaurant in Beijing. In Pakistan's business capital Lahore, Takatak -- a dish whose name is derived from the sound of the clanging knives used to make it -- consists of chopped goat and sheep hearts, brains, kidneys and testes.
A waitress standing outside a private room at a hotpot restaurant in Beijing. "Basically men eat it so that they can be potent in bed," said Faher Hayat, a chef whose roadside restaurant serves the specialty with onions, tomatoes, ginger, pepper and coriander
A waitress standing outside a private room at a hotpot restaurant in Beijing. "Basically men eat it so that they can be potent in bed," said Faher Hayat, a chef whose roadside restaurant serves the specialty with onions, tomatoes, ginger, pepper and coriander

From hotpot restaurants that only serve animal penis - with a side of testicles - to shots of snake blood, Asia boasts many supposed libido-boosting remedies that may seem unusual, and even repulsive to the uninitiated.

Holding aloft a half-metre long horse penis, chef Xiao Shan confidently declares it "the most delicious" of the ingredients in a Chinese hotpot of male genitalia, one of many supposed Asian remedies to boost the libido.

Penises and testicles from donkey, goat, dog, bull and deer, the other contributors to the $200 feast, are laid out on a kitchen table, like a sorry-looking row of odd-sized sausages and veiny, oval vegetables, all waiting to be sliced up by his looming, intimidating cleaver.

"The (horse) texture and the flavour are both very good. It is also good for one's health," said Xiao, who has been preparing male organs since he was 13, using skills handed down in his family for several generations.

In Pakistan's business capital Lahore, Takatak - a dish whose name is derived from the sound of the clanging knives used to make it - consists of chopped goat and sheep hearts, brains, kidneys and testes.

"Basically men eat it so that they can be potent in bed," said Faher Hayat, a chef whose roadside restaurant serves the specialty with onions, tomatoes, ginger, pepper and coriander.

"The brains give energy to the head, while the testicles have a power of their own."

Sourced from some of Asia's wildest and most rugged terrains, the organs are chopped up before being arranged on a bed of lettuce around an elaborate glass stand, more akin to something that might display fairy cakes or scones in a high-class cake shop.

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