Last Updated on Friday, 26 December 2008 19:05

Guinea Pigs - Friend or Food

Have you ever looked at a very large guinea pig and started to drool?

Here in Peru, a guinea pig not only makes a cute pet. It makes a tasty meal! And I don't mean that it prepares something good to eat. Guinea pig is a special meal, cooked up for a special occasion.

In this photo, you see the "before" picture of me with a roasted guinea pig. Some friends had come over earlier that morning with a special gift of three roasted guinea pigs. They were thanking us for giving their son a scholarship to study at an institute that teaches conversational English.

I didn't bother taking an "after" picture, since the end result just looks like a pile of chicken bones. I'm sure you're wondering "What does guinea pig taste like?" Well, it tastes like...chicken! Dark meat of course!



There are all sorts of rumors about this delicacy. One is that guinea pig meat has no cholesterol, making it a very heart-healthy meal. Can anyone prove this?

 

You can buy a T-shirt in the market here that says on the front "I like Guinea Pigs" and on the back it continues "Baked, Roasted, Fried or Toasted."