Eating Guinnea Pig

mmm...Cuy!
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After a bit of a late night, Simon, me and a new arrival at our Hostel took a local bus out of Cusco to taste a Peruvian delicacy.  Nancy, a local and my contact in the city who has organized our trek to Machu Picchu, came along for the ride as she regularly enjoys this tasty treat.  Apparently, the place where we were headed offered the "original recipe" and was a far more authentic experience that the Cue they serve in the city.  I was also assured that it would be fresh.

The Real Deal
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I was feeling far from 100%, (Simon was close to about 50%) and Scarlett (a friendly Dutch girl, who happened to also be a vegetarian) was just along for the ride.  It was a beautiful day and after a longer trip than I would have liked, we walked to a small house off the highway.  Here we met the family and inspected their simple abode before being seated and awaiting our meal.  (I wish I could say I was salivated, but I think it was the mouth sweats).

About 10 minutes later arrived the dish...on its back, paws in the air and a pepper stuffed in its mouth.  The dark caramel coloured skin looked crispy and I suspected quite juicy.  I must admit it was a bit disturbing with the little critter staring at me, particularly with its rodent incisors.  I requested that we divide the not so little guy into a few sections so that we might share him between ourselves (15 soles).  The woman in charge of the joint promptly obliged and brought out a wooden board and what looked like a sabre.  Without any hesitation, she gutted the beast (it is stuffed with a local herb that is something like mountain mint, but with a subtle aroma) and divided into four.

Young Cuy
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I offered the head to Nancy and I took the upper torso.  As for how the animal tasted, I thought that the meat absorbed the flavour of the stuffing very well and the roasting in the wood oven resulted in an enticing colour.  Upon the advice of our guide, I tasted the skin, but found it a bit leathery.  With much effort, I was able to extract a few bits of juicy meat.  In all, it was quite a bit of work for little reward.  An interesting novelty comestible, but not really my cup of tea.  I´m just happy both Simon and me were able to keep it down!

Once back in the Cusco, the rest of the day was spent readying for our trek the next morning....Machu Picchu, here we come!