"GuineaPigs" news and stories

The economy is suffering, and money woes have mixed their way into Christmas stress. What happens now? Stress eating!

And when you're reaching for something to munch on in all your stress, why not a guinea pig? The Peruvian province of Callao is trying to teach the world that guinea pigs are a cost effective and tasty way to feed yourself.

Warning: this post may offend people who like cute little furry guinea pigs.

A few days ago, I wrote a post about chicha morada, the amazing Peruvian blue corn drink. Thinking on it further, I am becoming increasingly convinced that Peru produces some of the best dishes in the world; with that in mind, I plan on writing a fair bit more about the wonders of lomo saltado, papas a la huancaina, and other treats. However, in the interests of total honesty, I also have to acknowledge the dark side of Peruvian cuisine, the surreal side, the side that dresses up guinea pigs in colorful costumes then roasts them with cheese.

The twisted tale of the Peruvian Guinea Pig Festival begins in a cute, whimsical way. In the small city of Huacho, located north of Lima, somebody came up with the bright idea of holding a regional carnival to honor the cuy, or guinea pig. Now in its third year, the event features contests for fattest, quickest, and best dressed cuy. People from the surrounding communities primp and preen their top animals, preparing them for the race and dressing them in the height of rodent fashion. It is not uncommon to see the animals dressed in bright silks and taffetas, sporting little hats and crowns, and generally looking like a cross between a fur mitten and the infant of Prague.

While the winners of the fastest and best dressed contests are spared from the final competition, the remainder of the cuy become fodder for the greatest test of all, a battle royale that pits woman against woman, village against village, and cuy against cuy: the fight for tastiest guinea pig. Amidst an orgy of stuffing, roasting, skewering and smoking, the women of Peru demonstrate their skill with one of the country's traditional delicacies.

Many years ago my fellow blogger Jonathan and I drove to the Bronx to sample the renowned Peruvian delicacy, cuy, or guinea pig as we call it here in the States. Soon after we were seated the waiter brought over the frozen critter, which was butterflied and sealed in a package bearing the red-and-white Peruvian flag. Shortly thereafter he brought out the finished product. The poor little rodent had been deep-fried and surrounded with some diced potatoes. I say "poor" not out of sympathy for the critter, but rather because I feel that it deserved to be prepared in a tastier fashion.

Which brings me to the subject of this post: the town of Churin's second annual cuy festival took place earlier this week. There were plates of fried, grilled and baked cuy. There was even cuy au vin. Each of these preparations was a mere $7, about a third of what Jonathan and I paid. I think I'd be partial to the roast variety, the fried one we ate wasn't so hot. The event also featured a cuy cookoff and a best-dressed contest where the rodents were decked in traditional Andean garb. In case you're wondering, even I find that last event somewhat disturbing.
[via Neatorama]

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