Specialty from the Inca Gods (Brined Guinea Pig with Parsley sauce & Guacamole Salad) 
I am back! The trip to Ecuador was fantastic: the weather perfect, the days filled with many culinary adventures and the incredible opportunity to meet Gary and Merri Scott.
The landscape was composed of so many different shades of green, and the flowers and the fruits were so bright and perfectly colored that my eyes were in state of total bliss! I think I gained a couple of pounds..., or maybe my pants shrunk? 
Today I am going to share with you a very unusual recipe to prepare a dish that might scare the taste buds of some of you, BUT sure to be a delicacy from the Inca Gods as they call it in Ecuador. I know -Greenpeace- would never speak to me again and I will probably be assasinated by tree huggers, but anyhow...I will take the RISK!
Guinea Pigs may be sweet as pets but they also happen to be savory in South America where they were first domesticated by the Inca in Peru. Fifteen centuries later these family pets remain an Andean delicacy, which when fried or roasted are the traditional dish known as cuy. According to recent studies, the Peruvians eat an average of twenty two million of these tasty rodents annually.
The taste of the cuy is a cross between rabbit and dark chicken meat. It has less fat and more protein than chicken, pork or red meat. When deep fried, the skin is so deliciously crunchy and chewy at the end. So, if you're not too attached to them as pets then get the oven on, because you are about to prepare a meal you will remember for the rest of your life!
Are you ready?---then, follow me after the jump to get the recipe:
cocina ecuatoriana recipe receta chef cookingdiva panama chef melissa guinea pig rodentDeep Fried, Brined Guinea Pig with Parsley Sauce and Guacamole Salad:
Ingredients:
- 4 guinea pigs
- brine (dissolve in low heat: 1 cup kosher salt + 3 cups water + 1/2 cup honey)
- fresh ground black pepper to taste
- 4 garlic cloves, peeled and pureed
- vegetable oil (coconut oil if available)
Directions:
- Clean well the guinea pigs and remove the skin. Removing the skin is optional, but I have to admit makes the cleaning process much easier.
- Put the guinea pigs in a container with the brine and cover with lid. Let sit in the fridge for 3-4 hours. Then, remove from the brine and wash with clear water and dry them with paper towels. Discard the brine.
- Cut them into 4 pieces and rub with crushed garlic and pepper. Fry them in hot oil until crisp and drain the excess oil in paper towels.
To make the parsley sauce: Blend 1/4 cup fresh Italian parsley leaves, 1/4 cup sour cream, 1/4 cup yogurt, and 2 teaspoons lime juice in a food processor until the parsley is finely chopped. Season the sauce, to taste, with salt and pepper. Serve in a cucumber cup made by scooping out the meat from a 2-1/2 inches cucumber piece.
To make the guacamole salad: combine chopped tomatoes, red onion, cucumber, cilantro, little garlic and avocado. Season to taste with lime juice, olive oil, salt and pepper. Serve in a tomato cup made by scooping out the meat of a tomato.
Serves 4.
Now, enjoy this delicacy brought specially to you from the marvelous Andes!
Hugs
Melissa
Tags: guinea pig, Ecuadorian food, cookingdiva, chef, panama, recipe
- by Chef Melissa
- November 11, 2005
- 10:45 am
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Comments
11.12.05 at 02:06 AM |
Finally! I can read your blog in English! No more spanish for me, lol! It’s interesting issue about raw milk and I thought that it wasn’t safe to drink raw milk so si, get two cows! A lot of interesting food here and I will make a time to read so I’ll be back soon. Love your food blog! ALOHA!
——-
11.12.05 at 07:43 AM |
Melissa, I will eat most anything but I am not so sure I can wrap my head around this one! If someone put the plate in front of me and didn’t tell me what it was, I would be fine. But since you told me what it is…I don’t know….probably not. I did however, love knowing the history of the dish. That was very interesting. I guess they are no different than eating squab.
11.12.05 at 08:21 AM |
Yvette: I am glad you liked the posts on raw milk. I know it is a very controversial issue in some places, but would be a good idea to pay attention on the wonders and healing powers of this incredible food. Will post more recipes using raw milk.
Vickie: I understand your point, because I was like that until I started traveling to very exotic places and learning their culture and culinary traditions. Also, I have been very fortunate to have clients with adventurous palates
I originally tasted the dish of my post when I visited “La Mirage, Relais & Chateaux”, a Garden Hotel and Spa in Cotacachi-Ecuador http://www.mirage.com.ec . It was one of their signature dishes, and I was impressed with how deliciously tender and juicy it was. That is what motivated me to design the recipe
11.12.05 at 08:28 PM |
He comido cuy en Ecuador mismo, es delicioso. (It’s very delicious). I am an American, so getting used to the idea was a bit if a leap but it is so common there one has to try it.
Sabe a pollo.
11.12.05 at 09:02 PM |
No sabía que en Ecuador también se consumía el cuy.
Los había visto hasta ahora en la cocina peruana. En particular en Arequipa, el cuy chactao si no me equivoco. Lo sirven con cabecita, patitas y todo… Debo confesar que aquella vez no me animé a probarlo.
Acá en Argentina se lo llaman cuis y hasta donde yo sé no se consumen.
11.12.05 at 09:28 PM |
Jeff, thanks for your visit
I agree with you, it is very common, traditional dish down there, and delicious!
11.12.05 at 09:32 PM |
Marcela, si…, yo tambien lo vi servido asi con cabecita, patitas y todo—-por cierto, nada apetecible! pero, cuando lo vi servido de gala—-si me anime!
10.09.07 at 09:37 AM |
Great blog.
Congratulations.
I have my blog to I hope you liked.
http://recetasolguis.blogspot.com.
Saludos
olga
10.09.07 at 12:01 PM |
Hola Olga!Gracias por la visita y felicidades por tu nuevo blog…ya te visitare muy pronto!
Un abrazo,
Melissa
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