This Week in Balls

At the World Testicle & Aphrodisiac Cooking Championship, Julian Assange was named "World's Ballsiest Man" (President Barack Obama won last year), and the world's first "cocktail of testicles" made an appearance. The "Bourbon with Balls" -- sure to be the next food trend -- combines whiskey, ice, lemon, "cream of vegetable," and two ram's testicles.

Belgians, Bintjes, and the Future of Frites

Belgians may prize frites made from bintje potatoes, but cultivation of these potatoes native to Belgium is stagnating.

Beware the Tomato Imposters

According to the president of the Consorzio San Marzano, a whopping 95% of the San Marzano tomatoes in America are not San Marzano. The tomatoes can only be sold peeled whole or fillets. if you see the words "puree", "sauce", "chopped", "diced," or even "organic," they're not genuine. Via Grub Street.

Foraging Frenzy Could Damage Ramp Populations

Researchers are concerned that the annual Spring frenzy for wild ramps is leading to overharvesting which could damage plant populations.

Tasting the Mighty Dekopon

Last weekend, while on a ramen run at Mitsuwa, I got my hands on a pair of Dekopon oranges, the jumbo-sized Mandarin oranges being marketed here as "Sumo Citrus."

When the intrepid "fruit detective" David Karp declared that Dekopons were the best oranges he'd ever tasted, you know they must be good: "I've tasted more than 1,000 varieties of citrus, and to me the Dekopon is the most delicious," Karp wrote in a recent Los Angeles Times article on the oranges and their secret migration from Japan to California groves.

So, how were they? At $3.99 for a pair, they better be pretty fantastic. And they were: big (for a Mandarin), super-sweet, seedless, and juicy, and a rind that practically peels itself. If you see them, try them. They're worth the splurge.

Daniel Boulud on Pork Belly

"If there's one piece of meat in the world that became overused and overrated and still delicious and captured by every sort of chef, it's the pork belly."

Sea Salt May Cause Long Term Problems at Fukushima Plant

Sea salt from seawater used to cool fuel rods at the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear plant could ultimately corrode the rods and allow radioactive elements to escape. To date, as much as 26 tonnes of salt may have accumulated in reactor unit 1, and twice that amount in the larger units 2 and 3.

Poppy Power

In praise of poppy seeds.

In Defense of Coconut Oil

In the New York Times, Melissa Clark sings the praises of virgin coconut oil.

How to Buy Fish

The Wall Street Journal on how to navigate fish options to choose the best in sustainability, health, and, of course, taste.