Peru's cash-strapped Christmas treat: Guinea pig hailed as tasty choice

[CanadaSue]

Kitchen, Outside the Box...? This could have gone so many places. I think the beasts referred to are the larger, wild ones.


***LIMA, Peru - Are hard times threatening your Christmas dinner? Well then, Peru has the answer: guinea pig.

Officials in the coastal Peruvian province of Callao on Monday hailed the Andean rodent as a low-cost, low-fat alternative to a traditional turkey or roast pork Christmas dinner.

Guinea pigs can feed seven or eight for about C$4, Callao official Mario Sanguinity told Associated Press Television.

"The idea is to give the people a tasty, economical option," he said.

The presentation included a live guinea pig dressed as Santa Claus and eight of its comrades laid out fried, broiled and roasted in traditional dishes from different regions of Peru.

Callao resident Silvia Carazas said she plans to make the switch to guinea pig at Christmas.

"The animal is rich in protein and has zero cholesterol as well, very important for those of us looking to watch our weight," she said.

The tiny cuts of white meat are often compared to rabbit and dark chicken. Called "cuy" in Peru, guinea pig is a stable source of income for farmers and holds an elevated place in Andean folklore.

A painting of the Last Supper hanging in the principal cathedral of the ancient Inca capital of Cuzco depicts Christ and the 12 disciples dining on guinea pig.


http://www.cbc.ca/cp/Oddities/081215/K121506AU.html

[angelsea]

Please...I love guinea pigs as pets , they are cute and make those funny noises. I would have to be starving to eat one.

[BirdGuano]

[quote]The tiny cuts of white meat [/quote

Tiny is an understatement. You would need a truckload of those
things to make it worth the calories expended cleaning them.

[A.T. Hagan]

They've been eating them in Peru for centuries upon centuries. They've always been a food animal.

.....Alan.

[Potemkin]

Old story, been around for years just rewritten.

They have been eaten by Peruvians before the white man came around.

Since you asked.

PERU. Cocina. Como preparar cuy chactado

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=n4D1OR4CS7M

You have been warned.

[Susie]

One guinea pig will not feed seven or eight.

[Potemkin]

Originally Posted by Susie

One guinea pig will not feed seven or eight.

One won't feed 7-8 based on western ideals of meat consumption but it is plenty for the developing countries I have been to.

[Susie]

I have an old seventies animal husbandry textbook from Brigham Young University that gives quite scientific data for raising small animals...including guinea pigs.

I used to have a neighbor who had married a woman he met in Peru during his time in the Peace Corps. She said that every household kitchen in the country has a cageful of guinea pigs in it.

Sure, the're cute...but they are faster and easier and cheaper than rabbits to raise for the table.

[rb.]

Given that, as of last night, I have a three storey, 2x4 foot, guinea pig condo in the LIVING ROOM, that DH just built, I don't think we'll be eating our two piggies for Christmas dinner. And no, it's not supposed to be in my living room, but once built, it was too big to fit down the stairs, to reside in the family room for which it was intended. Good thing DH is a cabinet maker, so it's not ugly.

Don't think we could ever eat our pigges.

[Potemkin]

Originally Posted by rb.

Don't think we could ever eat our pigges.

AHHH, anthropomorphism.

This is who you don't let children play with or name the cows, goats, sheep, rabbits, chickens or other farm animals destined for their natural purpose.

If you have pet cows, goats, sheep, rabbits, chickens, etc. then they are kept separate from the farm animals.

This is also why there are "pet" dogs and "hunting" dogs.

[Potemkin]

Originally Posted by Susie

I have an old seventies animal husbandry textbook from Brigham Young University that gives quite scientific data for raising small animals...including guinea pigs.

I have seen a later one that goes into raising miniature/small animals for food consumption. Miniature cows, goats, pigs, dik diks (like a deer), etc.

I am going to give it a try if I get a rural place if I can keep Ms. Potemkin away from them.

Why butcher a whole cow or goat? How much meat do two people need?

[sandyd]

I was reading about quail the other day....the eggs are small but some lay one egg a day. If you can't keep chickens where you live, quail is a good alternative to look into. So are Guinea pigs. Heck, so are Cats and Dogs....I'd have a hard time eating the ones I have as pets but I could learn to eat any dumped out here.

(I was even eyeing snails on a wall at Costco....outside the store cuz I know they can be put in an aquarium with corn meal for a few days and then they are yummy with garlic!)

[free ranger]

Could be worse.

Berlin's Poor Should Catch Rats, Says Politician

[Potemkin]

Originally Posted by free ranger

Could be worse.

Berlin's Poor Should Catch Rats, Says Politician

Come on.

They want to give the rat catchers €1 per rat they catch not so they can eat them.

[cpeterka]

Originally Posted by Potemkin

One won't feed 7-8 based on western ideals of meat consumption but it is plenty for the developing countries I have been to.

Actually, if we were at the dinner, one Guinea Pig would probably last for at least a year. Doubt that the MRS would partake, and I know the kids would just say "EEWWW ! NO WAY !".
So, after the green bean caserole was gone, and the sweet pataters, and the cranberrys, the pig would still be sitting there looking at us.