Eating guinea pig for tea
Would you eat your childhood pet?
Lucky for me, I was only allowed a goldfish (which oddly enough I called ‘Blog’ before I’d even discovered the internet) and a hamster that met a sticky end when my dad drowned it in a bucket!
I’d been whinging about eating guinea pig for weeks and our last night in Cusco was possibly the last chance I’d get.
A group of us arranged to meet at the highly acclaimed restaurant Quinta Eulalia, only to find that it was closed on Sundays. After one guy in a pharmacy falsely informed us that you could only get it as a lunch-time snack, we discovered a restaurant a few doors down that had two of the little fellows left. Score!
We ordered one between us for S/50. There’s not much meat on a guinea pig, but we were only there for the experience.
Making certain that they would serve it whole, so it looked as much like a guinea pig as possible, we settled in to a couple of bottles of Bolivian red and waited excitedly.
Half an hour later, the waiter brought a platter over to our table. Sure enough, the creature was whole. Its skin had sunk and wrinkled and its teeth protruded grotesquely. It was everything I’d imagined!
I’m not normally one to play with my food, but when my friend suggested we take photos kissing its snout I couldn’t resist.
We sliced it up into 4 chunks and tucked in. And it was really tasty…possibly the best meat I’ve had. The best bit was its paw, which crunched between my teeth like crackling.
The verdict: I wish it wasn’t such a delicacy. It’s definitely one of the most expensive dishes on any Peruvian menu. But it’s so worth ordering it if you get the chance.
Destination, Peru, South America
| 
cuisine, food, Peu
Themocracy
I have to say, you do a really good job selling the guinea pig! Almost made me wish I’d tried it – almost! Though I do regret that I never even saw one in a restaurant, despite it being on quite a few menus. Love your photos, too :)
Lauren recently posted..Studying in Ghana with Emily McGee
I think the price puts people off. I never saw anyone else eating one either – although perhaps sometimes it’s better disguised!
I’d try it. Glad you found a place to on your last night!
Jennifer recently posted..Dining Under the Arabian Stars at Amaseena
I know. Close call right?! Glad to have someone on my side. I’m getting a lot of stick for eating the little fella…
I hope someone finds you delicious one of these days.
Believe me, so do I…!
Wow. Ari. Like, WOW! It does look a little disturbing on the plate, but you’ve convinced me too :-)
Yay! I love how divided people are on whether or not it’s ok to eat guinea pig. Glad to have you on board :)
I ate it in both Ecuador over an open spit and then deep fried in Peru. I have to say I prefer it in Ecuador as it’s a bit less greasy but I enjoyed it. Both times locals took me so it was pretty cheap and I’d eat it again.
Ayngelina recently posted..Untouched Okanagan
Deep fried sounds good! I like the grease!
Nice sharing.
I never eat guinea pig. :)
Buntell recently posted..Antangin JRG Tablet 1 Strip – Deltomed
Do it just once. Trust me, it’s delicious!!
Awesome, do you know how many other I know would have ran out the door! Good on you for trying it and…descriptively, enjoying it :)
A lot of people haven’t been too happy with me for eating it! But at the end of the day, it was yummy so I don’t care!