We Eat Cuy (Guinea Pig)

 

Today we ate cuy for the first time; mainly so we could say we had tried it, not because we thought we might like it. After all, we’ve been here for more than a year, so one has to try it at some stage.

The grandmother of an Ecuadorian sister in the congregation raises guinea pigs, so we organised to go to her place and her grandmother killed, prepared and cooked them for us. There are different ways to cook them, and we were told that grilling them on a barbeque is the best (it makes the skin crunchy – some say that is the best bit). Although that does depend, of course, on whom you ask.

Barbeque where the cuy grilling was done

The bits we decided not to eat (the pollo (chicken) on the right looks good though).

Guinea pig is more often eaten and enjoyed by people from the country areas than from the cities, as they are generally not raised in cities. One lady asked me recently if I liked guinea pig, and told me that it was “very delicious”.

Guinea pig is probably more of a special occasion food than everyday food, as it is quite expensive compared with other foods, such as chicken. For instance, you can buy a whole cooked guinea pig with corn and potatoes etc. for $12. For $15 you can buy 2 barbequed whole chickens with potatoes, corn etc. Go figure. And chicken has way more meat on it than guinea pig.

There were about 10 of us to lunch – 1 Ecuadorian and 9 not. Normally guinea pig is served whole and you pick it up and eat it, but for us, they had cut it into quarters to cater to our sensibilities (after all, who hasn’t had a guinea pig as a pet?). They also removed the parts that they thought may put us off, such as the head and claws (as if that was really going to help!).

Left to right:  potatoes, cuy, corn, rice

So, we all bravely and with mixed emotions, tried our first bites of guinea pig (although 3 of our group had actually eaten it before), with varying reactions.

It has a rather gamey taste, is rather salty, and has a strange smell. The skin is very hard and crunchy, possibly a bit too much so (Brendy didn’t mind the skin). And it’s a little disconcerting that it is still attached to the ribs and other bones. I got on okay for a while (it actually tasted better than I had thought it would) but at some stage the psychological angle got me (we used to have them as pets) and possibly the smell or taste, and I couldn’t bring myself to eat any more of it.

Sarah taking her first bite (Yum)

Brendan wanted to put all these photos in to show that I did eat all my dinner! (Well, I ate all the corn, potatoes, etc.)

Brendan said it was the smell that got him; in order to eat it, you have to bring the whole piece of meat up to your mouth and nose, thus getting an olfactory overload. (You are apparently supposed to eat it with your fingers, not with a knife and fork) He thought it might be easier if you ate it with a knife and fork, thus getting less of a nose-full. The problem is you can’t eat it with a knife and fork because there is so little meat on it. You have to pick it up whole or pick off bits.

Most of us didn’t finish our portion, but of the non-Ecuadorians, 2 went back for more, and 1 other said she enjoyed it.

Then we went to see where the guinea pigs are raised. I had hoped and expected to see them all frolicking around outside on the grass, but instead, they live inside a brick shed. Guinea pigs here are definitely livestock, not pets.

Chickens outside the cuy shed

Where the cuyes live

They have such pretty-coloured chickens here!

Their accommodation is a series of wire cages up off the ground. The boys and girls are kept separate (except for certain obvious occasions), and the guinea pigs are divided by age. For example, “ready to eat” and “not ready yet”.

Their diet seems to be corn (they have a paler corn here than the yellow sweet corn we are used to in Australia) and grass.

I asked how long do guinea pigs live, and the answer was, in Ecuador, not more than 6 months!! That seems to be when they are considered ready for the pot.

The little ones are very cute, and I managed to reach in and grab one. It wriggled like it thought its time was up!

One very wriggly guinea pig!

For me, I think this was the funnest part of the day

Sarah coming back for more. How could you with that little cute face (the cuy not Sarah).

So, all in all, it was an interesting experience, and now when people ask us if we have had cuy or if we like it, we now have an answer. Although I suspect most Ecuadorians will not agree with us.

 One very cute calf (would have been nicer on the spit)