Eating Guinea Pig in Peru

By Jonny Blair

Travelling means trying new and random foods. One such food was Guinea pig in Peru! Just one of countless meals over the years. Guinea Pig is known as Cui in Peru.

With the Inca Trail behind me and having just seen the lost Inca City of Machu Picchu, it was time to relax in the town of Aguas Calientes in Peru. Everyone was in awe of the surroundings and we made plans to meet at Chaski restaurant for lunch at 3pm. I was going to be hungry and was thinking of trying something local.

When I was growing up our annual Christmas dinner was always of high importance. Like a highlight of the year. On this day I found a church in Aguas Calientes for lunch and after that it was time to head to the Peruvian restaurant for Christmas Dinner.

I had never tried Guinea Pig before and was set on it. Peru and Ecuador are the best places in the world to try Guinea Pig. I am adventurous in ordering and trying new food. However I must admit, if I don't like something, I won't finish it just for the sake of it.

There were a couple of options with the Guinea Pig Christmas Dinner. The choices were either Cuy Al Horno which is Roasted Guinea Pig. This comes with potatoes, cheese and salad. There is also the option of Pepian de Cuy which is Stewed Guinea Pig and that one is topped with peanut sauce and comes with rice and spuds. The price of them both was 55 Soles. I went for the Roasted option as I like cheese. It was nice to be having potatoes on Christmas Day.

And soon my roasted guinea pig was here and ready to be eaten. Our table raised a toast to completing the Inca Trail and we all ate and drank to our hearts content.

OK so I tried the roasted guinea pig, but how was it? Well I really will try anything once, but I will not always try anything twice. It was nice and a good feed for my Christmas dinner but it's not the sort of thing I would want to eat regularly. It was well cooked and if I had to compare it - I'd say it tasted a bit like chicken. The meat is hard to find, especially in big chunks and you have to pick at the bones. But I did it and I almost finished it. It was then time for a few more celebratory beers after completing the Inca Trail. If you are in Peru, the guinea pig is worth a try. It might be your only chance!

About the Author:

To find more articles like Eating Roasted Guinea Pig head to Jonny Blair's worldwide travel, work and lifestyle website called Dont Stop Living for regular travel features and advice.

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Guinea Pigs as Pets

By Cathy Doggins

The guinea pig or Cavy is originally from South America and remains one of the most popular pets for hundreds of years. They can be found in natural habitats in a few South American nations including Argentina and Brazil. While there are over 60 breeds, most domestic pet Guinea Pigs are either English, Peruvian and Abyssinian. Each breed has unique traits based mostly on hair length (short or long), The animals may also be differentiated by color or rosettes, which are round swirls of hair. Many Cavies are cross-bred creating for even more color ccmbinations. They eat easy to prepare Guinea Pig diets and are an easy to care for pet.

Your Pet Guinea Pig

The pet lives a mean of 5 years and make excellent pets. They're gentle non-aggressive creatures that seldom bite. The animals are very social with other Guinea Pigs. They'll make some noise, although not so loud as to be a problem. Cavies don't leap or jump, so no cage tops or lids are required.

Guinea Pig Bedding and Cages

Any cage should be about 200 square inches. The animals can be untidy since they like to shred any bedding material. Bedding can be shredded newspaper or recycled paper. Cage walls should be at least 10 inches high. The cage should be cleaned everyday since the animals often pee and defecate.

Feeding and Supplements

Cavies are easy to care for and need an easy to prepare and maintain diet. The most basic accessory is a sipper type water bottle. Water should be provided every day and the water bottle should be washed every 7 days. Vitamin C enriched Timothy Food pellets formulated for Guinea Pigs should be supplied. Also provide green Timothy, grass or oat hay. Avoid Alfalfa since it contains too much calcium. Also provide your Cavy a small portion of green vegetables.

As soon as you bring a Guinea Pig home, get him or her used to eating a many types of foods. The patterns you set while they're young will stay tfamiliar for the life of your pet. It is hard to introduce new foods later in life. Suggested veggies that are full of the required vitamin c incude:

- Turnip greens
- ,Mustard greens
- Dandelion greens
- Kale
- Brussell sprouts

Do not give your Guinea Pig too much fruit. Fruits like grapes, apples and orange slices (one per day for vitamin c is ok) can be provided. Fruit must not comprise more than 5% of a Cavies diet. Cavies require 10-30 mg of vitamin C daily. There are capsules available for purchase that may be crushed into fresh vegetables. Don't add a vitamin c supplement to water since the value of the supplement reduces after adding it to water.

Health Care

Like cats and dogs, cavies should be examined by a Veterinarian each year. Catching illnesses early is key to helping your pet live a long and healthy life.

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