Good morning,
I’m heading to Ecuador tomorrow for a wee walkabout. It seems that one of their delicacies is cuy, Guinea pigs. They are fried in several pots of of varied oils at different temperatures and served on a plate complete with head and tee-tiny feet. mm mmm goooooood.
Has anyone ever tried a guinea pig before? It looks a bit disturbing.
You sure they aren’t nutria?
Cuz nutria are rats.
I was under the impression they were a regular meat there. I suppose that everything being cooked is typical of a meat source being dear at the birth of this dish.
It seems that cuy is served for holidays and celebrations. It is a ‘special’ meat.
I’ve never had it, but I worked with a guy who took a ten day vacation to Peru, and that was the highlight of his trip. He seriously loved it.
I have friends from Peru and they assure me that Guinea Pigs are commonly part of a meal there. They even raise them for consumption.
My friend said that he doesn’t care for them, but his mother makes them regularly.
I watched a travel program on Ecuador and the intrepid traveller ordered one but could not eat it. She gave it to a nearby table at which a well dressed woman immediately ripped off the head and start gnawing the base of the skull admitting it was her favorite part.
They also make small guitars out of armadillos. I’ve never played a free range guitar before.
I don’t think I could - I had a pet Guinea Pig when I was little and I think it would disturb me too much.
I had Cuy in Peru. If you can get past the fact that they usually arrive looking like a guinea pig, they aren’t horrible. Depends how it’s done. Tastes like chicken, of course.
Andrew Zimmern of Bizarre Foods seemd to really like the one he had- just don’t be in a position where you can see the one you’re going to eat before its offed, becasue they’re adorable!.
I had a long haired one that looked like Alf when I was a kid. I had to wash his turds out of his long fur. That makes it sound even less appetizing.
It’s delicious and nutria-cious!
I could gopher that.
It’s nice to know they’re good for something. Enjoy!
I’ve had it in Peru where it is very common. I have to say that it was one of the most disgusting meals I’ve had in my travels (that’s really saying something). It was served whole and grilled, essentially a giant rat on a stick. It was the one time when I said, I can’t eat this after trying a bit.
I’ve had it on two occasions when I was younger, on the second occasion with a small helping of turtle stew. As you can imagine they can be prepared any number of ways. Mine was dressed less unapetizingly, with the head and feet being removed, and the rest quartered. So it was really like eating chicken or rabbit. And it tasted very much like a combination of the two meats. Basically chicken with a slight gamey taste to it. So though I did like it, and might even have it again if prepared in the same manner, I do remeber liking the turtle stew a lot more. Man, that was some delicious stew.
I had guinea pigs as pets when I was a kid. So I don’t think I could in good conscience order cuy at a Peruvian restaurant.
I have two pet guinea pigs - well, they notionally belong to my kids, but guess who does all the looking after. I wouldn’t eat those (although I have threatened, when the kids flatly refused to clean out the hutch*), but cuy is something I’d like to try. Nutria sounds OK to (with a name like ‘Nutria’, how can you not eat it?).
*(I threaten my kids with things like this all the time - my daughter wants a hamster, despite me having absolutely forbidden it - but she keeps badgering - in the end, I said if she gets a hamster, I’ll buy the envelope to keep it in - because it will fit nicely in there after I have stamped on it. Am I a bad parent?).
Possibly, but at least you make up for it by making good reading.
btw: I had to read that twice, the first time I thought, “if he’s putting the hamster in the envelope why would he put the stamps on the… oooohhh.”
Like others, I’ve tried it while I was in Peru. Guinea Pigs were domesticated over 7,000 years ago as a food source, in the Andes.
It was roasted and arrived at the table split in half length wise, but without the head. However, the feet still had its claws.
I’ve said it before, but the meat to bone ratio is not good on a small rodent, but the meat itself was fairly tasty. I’d say it was better than the chicken I had ordered at the same restaurant.