Where can I eat a guinea pig in Ecuador?
In South America, cuy (guinea pig) is a local specialty, and is supposed to taste like rabbit or chicken. Wikipedia claims that it is to be found in the highland areas of Ecuador, but doesn't elaborate much on its availability in the coastal regions.
Image source - Wikipedia
So, I'm interested whether it's a common sight in restaurants in the Ecuador Sierra in general, but especially in Guayaquil and surrounding areas -- I would definitely like to nibble on one of those sweet, sweet rodents! Also, slightly off-topic, are there any health concerns related to consuming guinea pork (is it still called pork?) that can affect my gentle European stomach?
Best Answer
First off it is a highland food. People on the coast will basically say they don't eat rat (I know it is not a rat). I find it easier to get in the smaller highland cities as opposed to say Quito or Cuenca but you can get it in both.
By far the best experience I have had is eating it is in Banos with the locals on a weekend evening just after dark. Each evening an hour say after nightfall, but particularly Friday and Saturday, a Cuy Street Cart appears just in front of the church below. He is a nice Andean man and serves the best Cuy with the night sky lit by the active lava of Tungurahua on one side and underneath it the waterfall flowing down into the wonderful Hot Springs and the church lit beautifully on the other side. You will never have Cuy so good. No fancy restaurant needed.
It is served "on a stick" straight off the charcoal grill.
Man, I leave again in four weeks to go to Ecuador and I was not planning on Banos but now...I can smell it.
It tastes as you think it would taste but the history of why they eat it in the Andean highlands is worth eating it alone.
Pictures about "Where can I eat a guinea pig in Ecuador?"
Quick Answer about "Where can I eat a guinea pig in Ecuador?"
- Roasting and eating guinea pig at Cuenca's meat market.
- The Cuenca market.
- Roasting guinea pigs in the Cuenca meat market.
- Roasting guinea pig.
Where can I find cuy in Ecuador?
Where to Eat Guinea Pig in Ecuador? Guinea pig can be found in the Andes of Bolivia, Peru and Ecuador. Although Cuenca Ecuador is known as one of the best places to eat cuy, my first time eating cuy was in Ba\xf1os with my mother and sister.Where can you eat guinea pig?
Bolivia, Colombia, Ecuador and Peru are all countries which have seen these furry little rodents grace local plates for thousands of years.- Those from the UK and the US are more accustomed to seeing guinea pigs as pets instead of food!
- Guinea pig or 'Cuy' as it is widely known in Ecuador, is considered a delicacy.
What country eats guinea pigs for delicacy?
Guinea pigs at a farm for the animals in Puno, Peru, where they're considered a delicacy. You may best know the guinea pig as a nervous little pet that lives in a cage and eats alfalfa pellets.What is cooked guinea pig called in Ecuador?
Cuy is a traditional dish \u2013 a delicacy \u2013 in Ecuador. And yes, cuy are guinea pigs.TASTING GUINEA PIG IN ECUADOR!
More answers regarding where can I eat a guinea pig in Ecuador?
Answer 2
Cuy is NOT tasty ;) It was very rich and oily and just not that pleasant at all. Most backpackers I met in Peru etc had the same opinion (although as always, there's always one or two that claim to enjoy it). Still, it had to be done ;)
I saw it in Puno (by Lake Titicaca) and in Arequipa as well, but I'd been trying llama, alpaca and any other animals that they believed were worthy of being on a plate. I tried cuy eventually in Cusco - we had to hunt a bit price-wise, but were told by locals in Puno that Cusco would be the place to eat it!
I also went through Ecuador, although only via Quito and nearby towns as I was running short on time - but didn't see it anywhere in Ecuador, unfortunately.
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