The Cooking Diva Blog: Original Tropical Creations by Chef Melissa De Leon

I have been cursed: Revenge of the Guinea Pigs

I decided to capture this screen from my FLICKR account -just in case- GP girl comes back to curse me again or to DELETE her comment.

This is where everything started...My brined guinea pig recipe.

Next time I cook another of her furry friends I will be thinking of her and ...I would not shed a tear...

"revenge of the guinea pigs" that would make a good movie! anyhow, what difference is it what animal you choose to eat? the world is big & diverse. hugs to mel

Thank you Bindifry for your support!

From Wikipedia, Guinea Pigs as Food:

Guinea pigs, or cuy, cuye, curí, were originally domesticated for their meat in the Andes.

As food, the guinea pig is described as a combination of rabbit and the dark meat on chicken, though in colour, taste, and the fineness of bones the gourmet will be reminded of quail. It is high in protein (21%) and low in fat (8%). Due to the fact that they require much less room than traditional livestock and reproduce extremely quickly when compared to traditional stock animals, they can be raised as a source of food in an urban environment—unlike most western livestock animals.

To this day, cuyes continue to be a major part of the diet in Peru and Bolivia, particularly in the Andes Mountains highlands, where they are an important source of protein and a mainstay of Andean folk medicine. Peruvians consume an estimated 65 million Guinea pigs each year, and the animal is so entrenched in the culture that one famous painting of the Last Supper in the main cathedral in Cusco, Peru shows Christ and the twelve disciples dining on guinea pig.

Guinea pigs are also consumed in Ecuador, mainly in the Sierra region of the country, but are not depended upon as a staple source of protein.

Un abrazo,
M

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by Chef Melissa - CookingDiva · June 08, 2006 · 09:47 AM
Permalink · Comments (6) · TrackBack (0) · Categories: Ethnic Cuisine: Ecuadorian / Andean / Cocina Ecuatoriana / Cocina Andina · Food & Drink

Hi Melissa,

Wow, I have never thought about eating a guinea pig! Looks good, and I bet tasted great.

Comment by: Crazy Gaijin • Jun 8, 2006 6:09:30 PM

It never crossed my mind to eat the little critters before I went to the Ecuadorian Andes. Everytime I travel I try to learn and taste as much as I can from the country I am visiting. That is the main idea of my travels---The photo in question was taken at the most exclusive restaurant/hotel/spa of the region. I was among a group of people and I was the only one that ordered the dish. It was somehow funny, because although they didnt order it---most of them ended having a bite or two of the delicious dish. It was tasty, delicious and the presentation was inviting.

In order to know the world and different cultures we just have to keep and OPEN mind, and that is exactly what I do.

I am an animal lover myself, you do not want to know how many pets I have, LOL! But, food is food and I need it for living, so why should I feel sorry for trying things?

Many of my clients are vegan and vegetarian, and I enjoy every minute I cook for them---and I respect their choice. Why shouldn't them respect mine----

Un abrazo!!!
M

Comment by: melissa_cookingdiva • Jun 9, 2006 10:45:13 AM

Ay Melissa, ¿No ves el saperoco que tienen en Chicago por el foie gras?

Suena despectivo, pero una vez un chef francés me preguntó "¿Y qué saben ellos de eso?" No soy tan radical, creo que muchos si saben de eso y por eso precisamente se ha prolongado la discusión.

¿Será que a los pollos, los cerdos o al ganado no lo reproducen, crían y matan para comérselos?

Un abrazo!

Comment by: María Luisa • Jun 13, 2006 7:04:40 AM

En los tiempos de ahora con el Greenpeace y Peta haciendole sombra a todos, la idea creo es convertir a todos en vegetarianos, creando individuos débiles física y mentalmente. Que lo hagan ellos si quieren, pero que no nos -obliguen- a nosotros a comer lo que ellos quieren.

Que horror.

Comment by: melissa_cookingdiva • Jun 13, 2006 7:18:41 AM

What a twit she is. As a person who spent years as a vegetarian, I never chided people for eating meats. I'd made my choices to not eat it and other people made theirs to eat it. I never understood where people like that get off trying to run other people's culinary lives. I never could get over the idea of eating snails but I'm not going to stop others from eating it just because I'm not happy with the idea. Sheesh!

Comment by: Nerissa • Jun 13, 2006 9:06:51 AM

I love this post - my daughter has travelled in South America - and actually loved it so much she went back to work there. She's teaching English in Chile.

Anyway - whenever my girls travel, I always ask about the unusal foods they get to eat and she told me about cuy - guinea pig. I must admit the first time I heard it, I pictured her hamster pets from when she was a kid. And although I've never had the chance to eat it, I have a fond feeling for it as just the mention of it, connects me to her.

So thanks for sharing.

Comment by: Ruth • Jun 17, 2006 8:15:00 PM