When I first saw Grace's Cock Soup on the shelf at H-E-B, I figured it was another one of those "Jamaican Love Foods." While I was writing my first cookbook, Traveling Jamaica with Knife, Fork & Spoon, with chef Jay McCarthy, we dutifully recorded and tested recipes for several of these sexy soups and tonics. The tastiest was Mannish Water, a soup made from a goat head. The goat soup is traditionally eaten by a Jamaican groom on his wedding night to help him in the performance of his marital duties. Our version included dumplings.
Bull cock soup (made with bull penis) is considered an aphrodisiac in Asia, as are a number of other penis soups. And "Cow Cod Soup" made from bull testicles is another Jamaican love food. But none of my research turned up any information about Cock Soup as an aphrodisiac -- not the kind made with roosters, anyway.
Finally, I searched the back of the package for any clues. After reading the ingredient list three times, I realized why the soup didn't make the Jamaican Love Food list. Grace's Cock Soup doesn't contain any cock. It's vegetarian, although the package warns it may contain trace amounts of fish. What a letdown!
Anybody have any idea why this is called cock soup?
