CUY: Its whats for dinner
In some countries guinea pigs are kept as pets, known in Spanish as mascotas. Not so in Andean South America where they are dinner. Several years ago we joined an Overseas Adventure Tour of Perú. On the tour agenda was dinner in a very basic private home near Ollantaytambo in the Andes, where you guessed it, only one main course available. Inside the home there were many guinea pigs roaming freely underfoot. One poor soul was selected and the woman of the house adroitly and quickly dispatched said cuy and then demonstrated how to prepare the main course.
Step one was to shave the fur off the squirrel sized creature (think Gillette), followed by removing the inner parts, and then preparing the cuy for cooking over a wood fired stove. I watched my fellow travelers facial expressions as dinner was served and remembered being in Japan and watching face colors change when live jumbo prawns were placed in front of friends. In the case of cuy all were able, to a greater or lesser degree, eat what was placed in front of them.
And how did it taste? It reminded me growing up when we used to hunt and eat squirrel. Not much meat, bony, and I wouldn't order cuy again no matter who prepared it!
As an aside, Perú is a top five destination for me. It rates up there with Southern Africa (Namibia, Botswana), Scotland, México, and a few others.
Sometimes they cook cuy "barbacoa" style. The put it in a hole in the ground and cover it with clay and lump charcoal. It's called Pachamanga.
ReplyDeleteI had that for Christmas in Salkantay (near Cusco) a few years ago. It did not sit very well in with my stomach but I don't think you wan to hear the rest of that story.
Sort of like javelina are sometimes cooked, but I imagine Cuy may not take as long:)
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