Guinea Pig Cuy Peru Food

A flattened fried cuy is called cuy chactado and most visitors who sample cuy seem to prefer the fried version.

Guinea pig cuy peru food. What they are is a delicious delicacy best served with potatoes and salsa. Peru s food renaissance and the emphasis on traditional ingredients means that some of peru s best chefs are using cuy in their cuisine. One whole guinea pig breaded with flour and fried flat as a whole with the head foot tails and everything else intact. It s fried or roasted guinea pig and it s a peruvian delicacy.

This place is well known for serving traditional arequipean food including the cuy chactado. It is typically served whole either fried roasted or grilled with rice potatoes corn and hot sauce on the side. Cuy one of peru s most famous dishes is not for the faint of heart. A traditional food guinea pig called cuy in peru has been served whole on special occasions since inca times.

Don t leave peru without trying cuy pronounced kwee which. I had cuy confit in a fancy restaurant and i had it on the road in pisac roasted in a traditional clay oven. Peruvians don t keep them as pets. The guinea pig was first domesticated as early as 5000 bc for food by tribes in the andean region of south america the present day southern part of colombia ecuador peru and bolivia some thousands of years after the domestication of the south american camelids.

Cuy is definitely one of the weirder foods to try on your travels. Cuy al horno is baked or spit roasted whilst cuy chactado is fried in spices. Guinea pigs are cute and cuddly and eating one is like eating your pet dog. This was the traditional peruvian way to serve guinea pig.

Guinea pig meat is considered special because it s higher in protein and lower in cholesterol than chicken pork or beef. There are different methods of cooking guinea pig cuy meat the main ones are cuy al horno sometimes also called cuy al palo or picante de cuy and cuy chactado. Statues dating from circa 500 bc to 500 ad that depict guinea pigs have been unearthed in archaeological digs in peru and ecuador. Traditional baked guinea pig though not all visitors to peru are keen to eat it this way jaime pesaque is the owner of mayta a high end restaurant in upmarket lima.