The Peruvian dish of Cuy - Roasted guinea pig

How would you like your Guinea Pig served?

by Rob W. on July 15, 2010 · 6 comments

Peruvian Cuisine is renowned around the world as being one of the best, though there are some dishes that may not be apt for the faint of heart.
Imagine you are in Peru looking through a menu in Spanish and you come across Cuy.
Hmm, I don’t know what it is but I’ll give it a go.
Then after a while a dish is placed in front of you like in the photo above. What would you do?

Cuy is in fact Guinea Pig… roasted not stirred.

Jeannie Oliver has tried this dish (the photo above is hers) and said it has a “texture of chicken, taste of mild pork”. And as she said “It pays to spit out the teeth!”

Remember folks, don’t try this at home… neighbours get nasty when you steal their kid’s pet.

If I had the chance, I’d definitely give Cuy a try, would you?
If this dish were served to you at a restaurant, would you eat it?

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{ 5 comments… read them below or add one }

Laura August 18, 2010 at 8:54 pm

I also tried this dish in Peru and I wasn´t impressed. The flavor wasn´t bad at all, but it was the lack of meat that left me disappointed with my cuy experience. Maybe my cuy was just a scrawny one and Jeannie had a better, plumper one. While I was left unsatisfied with my meal of a few strips of meat, I would still try it again. Besides, if you try it, you get to tell everyone that you ate a guinea pig (although you may not want to say this in front of someone who has this animal as a pet!)

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Sarah September 28, 2010 at 12:27 pm

poor animal no i would never try it

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Tammy May 25, 2011 at 7:39 pm

I agree. I would probably faint if I saw that on my plate!

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Latin Destinations December 12, 2012 at 3:54 pm

When I was in Peru a few months ago I had the opportunity to try Cuy and I had to decline because where I come from Guinea Pigs are pets, not food. I enjoyed the other types of Peruvian food though, but in my opinion it doesn’t come close to Mexican cuisine.

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Rob W. December 13, 2012 at 4:22 pm

Yep, I think that they’re considered pets in many parts. Guinea Pigs, no problem to eat though I would probably hesitate if it came to try dog or cat… probably.

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