Bolivia's Best-Known Ingredients for Aphrodisiacs

SCRIPT: Cardan soup is on the menu at this popular restaurant in La Paz and is Bolivia's most famous aphrodisiac dish. The main ingredient is bull's penis. The owner of the restaurant has cooked it – and eaten it – with gusto for more than 20 years. SOUNDBITE1 Aydé Urquizo, Owner, Case de Oro restaurant (Spanish, 11 sec) "Our ancestors told us penis soup is invigorating, bracing, and for the male, an aphrodisiac. And look at me, I've been eating it since I was little and I've had ten children" (IN SPANISH) « Nuestros ancestros nos han dicho que el caldo de nervio es tonificante y es algo afrodisiaco para el varon. Mire que he tomado desde tan joven que tengo ya ahora diez hijos. » To prepare the delicate meat, the organ must be cooked for 12 hours, until tender. Then chicken is added, an egg, beef and a few vegetables. Cardan soup is best served piping hot. Voxpop in restaurant, female, (Spanish, 5 sec) 'The dish has a male favour to it' (IN SPANISH) « El nervio mas o menos tiene sabor a varon » Voxpop in restaurant, male, (Spanish, 5 sec) 'It's soft and the flesh is tender' (IN SPANISH) « blando, su pulpa es bien suavita » Voxpop in restaurant, male, (Spanish, 6 sec) 'It has a creamy flavour, very rich' (IN SPANISH)« pero es un sabor mas o menos como a crema de leche, es rico » As for the reputed effect, for some customers, it's immediate. SOUNDBITE 2 Alvaro (man), customer, (Spanish, 15 sec) "When you eat this soup, you start to sweat and you feel your body heating up. So its true what they say about its aphrodisiac effect because your body is full of heat, and you need to get that heat out one way or another" (IN SPANISH)« empiezas un poco a sudar cuando lo comes y sientes que tu cuerpo se calienta. Entonces lo que dicen es cierto. Que te calienta el cuerpo y cuando te calienta el cuerpo pues quieres sacarlo de alguna manera. » Cardan soup is not the only Bolivian secret to a better love life. Between these rows of lettuce is the maca, a member of the cabbage and turnip family. It's been eaten by the...