The Icelandic fascination with animal male genitalia
Disclaimer: You might not want to let your kid read this.
Today Steðji brewery announced that the special ingredients their annual Þorrabeer (Þorri is the name for the last winter month) is going to be smoked whale testicles, claiming that they "want to create a true Thorri atmosphere" http://www.visir.is/icelandic-seasonal-beer-from-whales'-testicles/article/2015150109150.
This reasoning is based on the food "traditionally" consumed on Þorrablót a festival on the end of Þorri, invented in the romantic nationalism in the 19th century. A lot of this food are methods of conserving and making use of animal parts. Food is dried, pickled or cured and intestines, the head and also testicles are used, reflecting the shortage of food during the last part of winter in a rural society. Among these are cured loins and testicles.
As if making food out of testicles were not enough there is even the famous "phallological museum". A museum showing a worrying variety of animals penises (and one human specimen, which is not nice to look at, all shriveled and dead looking) and even "designed" lamps out of bulls testicles.
One could have all kinds of theories of why the Icelanders have such a big fascination with male animal nether parts (others did: http://satwcomic.com/the-collection. It is "obviously" sexist, why all this attention to the male genitalia, Iceland? Why not make a national dish out of stuffed ....well... or at least start collecting vulvae.
Today Steðji brewery announced that the special ingredients their annual Þorrabeer (Þorri is the name for the last winter month) is going to be smoked whale testicles, claiming that they "want to create a true Thorri atmosphere" http://www.visir.is/icelandic-seasonal-beer-from-whales'-testicles/article/2015150109150.
This reasoning is based on the food "traditionally" consumed on Þorrablót a festival on the end of Þorri, invented in the romantic nationalism in the 19th century. A lot of this food are methods of conserving and making use of animal parts. Food is dried, pickled or cured and intestines, the head and also testicles are used, reflecting the shortage of food during the last part of winter in a rural society. Among these are cured loins and testicles.
As if making food out of testicles were not enough there is even the famous "phallological museum". A museum showing a worrying variety of animals penises (and one human specimen, which is not nice to look at, all shriveled and dead looking) and even "designed" lamps out of bulls testicles.
One could have all kinds of theories of why the Icelanders have such a big fascination with male animal nether parts (others did: http://satwcomic.com/the-collection. It is "obviously" sexist, why all this attention to the male genitalia, Iceland? Why not make a national dish out of stuffed ....well... or at least start collecting vulvae.