Peru, SOUTH AMERICA
Dogs, snakes, lizards…and even the cute looking guinea pigs. Yes foodies, the cute looking guinea pigs is slaughtered and grilled to honor the guests in Peru…this practice has been taken from the Andean household. Guinea pigs are usually grilled but they are also experimented in casseroles and fricassee, by the upscale dining establishments. Locally called as cuys the roasting and grilling of cuys often scares the visitors who come to Ecuador and Peru.
The way the cuy is slaughtered is weirder than the food itself as, the neck of the cuy is broken and the blood is allowed to ooze out leaving the meat dry and flavorless. Asphyxiation is another method to kill the guinea pig but that causes a lot of pain to the rodent. After gutting and skinning the creature it is submerged in boiling water, before roasting; frying, known as chactado or frito which involves hammering the meat first; in soups or broths, called locro de cuy; boiled or chanka de conejo; and barbequed, prepared by and for the community and locally called pachamanca. These cuy delicacies are traditionally eaten with hands and paired with beer and potatoes.
A famous Cuy recipe also seasons cuy in pepper, salt, and pisco (an alcoholic dish, which is distilled, form grapes and originally made in Peru). The flavor interpolates between rabbit and chicken meat. If you want to taste this cute creature, you can get cuys folded as different delicacies. La Namorina in Peru is serves fried cuy; Chola Flora in Bolivia is famous for boiled cuy; and the weirdest part of his is served in Ecuador where many restaurants scare their guests with broiled cuy served on a spit…ironical. They are supposed to serve cuy on special occasions and serve it on spit…honor, I had better look it up in my dictionary.
Scary-guinea-pigs at: bootsnall
