In parts of Peru, there’s an ancient culinary delicacy that consists of liquefying a rare frog. Drinking the concoction is said to cure a wide range of ailments, including bronchitis, tuberculosis, asthma, arthritis, even impotence.
The amphibious garnish in question is not just any frog, but the critically endangered Telmatobius culeus, or more commonly known as the scrotum water frog, which is endemic to the Lake Titicaca region. As unflattering as it sounds, the nickname is rather apt considering the croaker’s many blanket-like skin folds that cover its body; think of it as amphibious version of a blubbery bulldog.
Frog Juice, or Jugo de Rana, as its referred to in Spanish, has been dubbed the Peruvian Viagra. It’s a concoction that’s believed to have strong medicinal powers with purported benefits including increased blood flow, lung function, and more poignantly, sexual stimulation.
Motherboard correspondent Mariano Carranza traveled to Lima and discovered some frog juice at an open-air, mom n’ pop shop in the streets of Puente Nuevo.
Symbioticis a new Motherboard series that delves into the beautiful and twisted interactions between man and animal and the interdependent tussle between the two species in the name of mutual survival.
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