As if you didn’t already know, today sees the start of the seventh annual Testicle Cooking World Championship – although organisers admit they rarely get anybody from abroad. The final, for those in the area, is on the 29th August.

As tourism slogans go “Serbia has balls” is certainly designed to catch attention.

Tourism chiefs at Ozrem in the north of the country are hoping that their annual testicle cooking competition will do for the region what whisky did for Scotland or cheese and chocolate did for Switzerland.

Festival organiser Ivo Mokovich said: “The importance of a recognisable brand to sell a region cannot be underestimated – look at how many people go to Scotland because of the whiskey or how many people know Switzerland because of their cheese and chocolate.

“We are now hoping that the many famous and varied testicle dishes that we have created in the region will become world-famous and attract people who appreciate good food from all over the world.”

It’s a fairly local event, you’ll be amazed to know

Mokovich said: “That is not such a surprise – after all it shows we are the best because nobody else is prepared to take up the challenge and to try and take the title of top testicle chef away from the Serbs.”

Mokovich added: “This year the theme is let your imagination run free – we have allowed the entrants to submit dishes using any kind of testicles that they want – large or small — and we’re looking forward to seeing what the expert Serbian testicle cooks come up with.”