Torpedo Soup (Malaysian bull’s penis soup)
“Torpedo soup” (called “sup torpedo” in Malaysian) or “beef torpedo” is a bull’s penis soup, and is, supposedly, an aphrodisiac. “How many tourists would want to try bull’s penis soup, even with its reputation for putting a charge in your blood supply?” was printed in the South China Morning Post (Hong Kong) on September 18, 1983. “If you are male and are feeling adventurous, try the ‘Whip’, an aphrodisiac soup made from bull’s or deer’s penis” was printed in the book Bangkok to Bali (1990) by Frank Kusy.
“Torpedo soup” has been cited in print since at least 2003. According to the article “‘Torpedo soup’ to the rescue” in New Straits Times (Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia) on January 3, 2006, “The soup made its debut in Penang about 15 years ago, when one Shahul Hameed started selling it from Sup Hameed Sdn Bhd in Jalan Penang.” It’s possible that the name “torpedo soup” is from this date (about 1991), but the “penis soup” itself is from a much earlier and uncertain date.
Wikipedia: Torpedo soup (Sup torpedo)
Torpedo soup is a nickname for a type of soup that uses it as a base for a bullshing stick. In Malaysia , this torpedo soup is usually served in stalls or mamak restaurants. This torpedo soup is usually served with a piece of Benggali bread to make the soup. The price is between RM5.00 and RM8.00 per bowl, depending on the size of the bowl. The meat is rather chewy and it tastes like regular beef.
18 September 1983, South China Morning Post (Hong Kong), “The travelling man’s Asia” by Jody Logan, Book Review Quarterly sec., pg. 20, cols. 1-3:
Post Guide Series—Hongkong, Sri Lanka, Japan and Singapore (South China Morning Post, $45 each)
(...)
How many tourists would want to try bull’s penis soup, even with its reputation for putting a charge in your blood supply? If you are game, try the Old Airport Road Hawkers Centre.
Google Books
Bangkok to Bali
By Frank Kusy
London, UK: Robinson McCarta
1990
Pg. 125:
If you are male and are feeling adventurous, try the ‘Whip’, an aphrodisiac soup made from bull’s or deer’s penis.
1 April 1996, New Straits Times (Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia), “Demand for exotic cuisine increases” by Shukor Rahman, pg. 8:
In China, Hong Kong and Taiwan, a soup of bull testicles and penis, together with a dozen types of herb boiled with rice wine is believed to increase virility and also to strengthen overall health.
28 March 2003, Asian Wall Street Journal (Hong Kong), “Culture and Thought—Personal Journey: Preserving Penang—- Heritage Conservation vs. Urban Renewal” by Li Min Lim, pg. P9:
Then we detour into Penang Street, famous for its mamak, Malay-Indian hawker stalls, selling torpedo soup, a bull’s penis dish unique to the island.
22 May 2003, Global Information Network (New York, NY), “Malaysia: Nasi Kandar, A Multi-Ethnic Food, Spices Up Night Life” by Anil Netto, pg. 1:
PENANG, Malaysia, May 21 (IPS/GIN)—It’s 4 a.m. in Gelugor, a residential suburb in the northern Malaysian state of Penang.
(...)
There is the usual chicken, fish and beef curries, an array of fried dishes, and for the more adventurous there is cow’s stomach soup, quail soup and goat’s leg soup. Some mysterious dishes like ‘torpedo soup’ have also showed up on the menu.
24 August 2005, Seattle (WA) Post-Intelligencer, “If you like Bourdain, you gotta try ‘No Reservations” by Hsiao-Ching Chou, pg. C1:
The recent Malaysia episode has [Anthony Bourdain] eating a shrimp paste out of a ceramic crock in a night market in Kuala Lumpur. His response: “It’s shrimpy and putrid - in a good way.” Later, he sits down at a stall for a bowl of torpedo soup, which is boiled bull penis in a savory curry broth. “That’s a mouthful,” Bourdain says, innuendos intended.
3 January 2006, New Straits Times (Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia), “‘Torpedo soup’ to the rescue,” pg. 13:
GEORGE TOWN, Mon. - “Sup Torpedo”, anyone?
Penang’s answer to the West’s cure-all chicken soup is still a favourite among regulars who look for it whenever they have a cold, flu or fever.
The secret is believed to lie in the “torpedo”, a euphemism for the bull’s penis said to do the trick for those feeling poorly.
The soup made its debut in Penang about 15 years ago, when one Shahul Hameed started selling it from Sup Hameed Sdn Bhd in Jalan Penang.
Today, the restaurant sells about 300 bowls of soup a month. Its manager, Zainul Wahab, 42, said the recipe was created by Hameed’s grandfather 25 years ago.
The recipe was a trade secret, Zainul said, though he was willing to reveal that garlic, ginger and other assorted local herbs were used.
7 October 2007, Sunday Age (Melbourne, Victoria), “24 hours in - Penang” by Carol West, Travel sec., pg. 17:
There’s a sprinkling of Western-style bars along one side of Penang Street. Lively kerbside cafes sell men the local aphrodisiac, beef “torpedo” soup, ...
Chowhound
Penang - “Sup Torpedo” aka Bull’s Penis Soup from Sup Hameed
klyeoh | Oct 4, 2014 08:29 PM 1
It really didn’t come as a surprise to many of us when we learnt that Sup Hameed’s “Sup Torpedo” (bull’s penis soup) was featured in Anthony Bourdain’s “Parts Unknown”. Sup Hameed offers a plethora of Indian-Muslim (known locally as “mamak”) eats: from crisp “roti canai” (paratha) to spicy “Mee Goreng” noodles, and of course the Penang Indian-Muslim staple: Nasi Kandar (rice with a selection of curries).
We were here last night to sample the “Sup Torpedo”: cuts of tendon-like, slightly-chewy bull’s penis in a lightly-spiced broth. The soup was tasty, and the bits of organ was actually, palatable - just the thought of what we were eating made us feel a bit queasy, rather than the taste or texture of it
Google Books
Lonely Planet Malaysia Singapore & Brunei
By Isabel Albiston, Brett Atkinson, Greg Benchwick, Cristian Bonetto, Austin Bush, Robert Kelly, Simon Richmond, Richard Waters and Anita Isalska
Published by Lonely Planet Publications Pty Ltd
2016
Pg. ?:
Sup torpedo Malay bull’s penis soup is – like many ‘challenging foods’ – said to enhance sexual drive.
YouTube
My First Time Eating Penis Soup in Malaysia | Unheard of Malaysian Food
The Food Ranger
Published on Apr 19, 2016
(Called “beef torpedo.”—ed.)
Google Books
Lonely Planet Kuala Lumpur, Melaka & Penang
By Simon Richmond and Isabel Albiston
Published by Lonely Planet Publications Pty Ltd
2017
Pg. ?:
LAI FOONG
(...) The stall that lends its name to this old-school hawker cafe has been dishing up beef ball noodles since 1956; on Mondays you can ask for its special ‘steak and balls’ soup made with beef penis and testicles.
YouTube
#MalaysiaTrulyAsia #TourismMalaysia
First Time Eating ‘Torpedo Soup’ in Malaysia - Unheard of Malaysian Food
Malaysia Truly Asia
Published on Aug 22, 2018
Catch Travel Host, Trevor James eating ‘Torpedo Soup’ in Malaysia for the first time! Check this out!