Eating Guinea Pig in Peru

Guinea pig (or cuy) has been consumed in the Andes for four thousand years, and is a popular Peruvian treat for birthdays and special occasions...

Guinea pig (or cuy) has been consumed in the Andes, the area where they originated, for four thousand years, and a popular Peruvian treat for birthdays and special occasions. An estimated 65 million guinea pigs are consumed annually in Peru, and they are considered such a part of local culture that there’s a famous Last Supper painting in Cusco’s cathedral in which Christ and his disciples dine on cuy.

Especially in Arequipa, the animal is flattened whole and fried in a dish called Cuy Chactado. In Cusco, it’s often roasted whole in a clay oven, after being stuffed with fresh chopped parsley, oregano, mint, and huacatay leaves mixed with its own intestines. This dish is known as Cuy al Horno, which we serve in Pirwa Restaurant, in Cusco’s Plaza de Armas. In both these preparations, you’ll be presented with a dish that is unmistakably guinea pig- the claws and head are left intact, with two distinctly rodent incisors declaring I’m not really a pig. Many travelers include guinea pig on their wishlist in an attempt to sample a bit of authentic local culture, and to win some conversation-starting photos in the attempt.

So what does it taste like? Some compare it to a slightly chewy rabbit, others to a gamey pork. It’s very labor- intensive to separate the thin sheets of meat from the skin and bony frame with knife and fork, and doing so will mark you unequivocally as a foreigner, as connoisseurs suck the meat off of the thin bones, leaving the latter behind in tidy piles.

If traditional preparations are too intimidating, or simply not sufficiently appetizing, one can opt for a novo-andino version. The fusion dishes served up by upscale modern chefs are the only ones that truly elicit compliments from travelers. Often, the meat is shredded for stuffing in ravioli, sautéing, or other treatment.

Fecha de Publicación: 02/08/2014