Guinea Pig

Those of a weak disposition should not read the following post!

In the market in Puno a week ago we saw a cage full of cute little guinea pigs for sale. Needless to say, this was not a pet shop.

Guinea pig, cuy in Spanish, is a Peruvian speciality. It's served pan-fried with tomatoes, onions and potatoes, and I'd been itching to try some for quite some time. We eventually found a good restaurant in Arequipa, and so I ordered one.

That's really all you need to know! Katherine was horrified, naturally (but no more than she usually is when I eat meat ;), so she took an incriminating photo. Guinea pig tastes much like chicken, although a bit more fatty, and slightly smokey. You don't get a lot of meat on them, for obvious reasons, and they're served, rather alarmingly, complete with head and legs still attached.

So there you go. My list of disgusting things I've eaten is now growing - guinea pig, and raw fish marinated in lemon juice. I guess you could add alpaca, too. Cool!