h2g2 The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy: Earth Edition

The guinea pig, otherwise known in Peru as cuy, is a friendly little fellow and a very tasty delicacy too.
You see it all began last November, when I was fortunate enough to be visiting a highland farmer near Sillustani, which is close to the beautifully blue coloured Lake Umayo. I was talking to this lovely quietly spoken man about the rugs he had just finished weaving when he invited me into his home. His wife made a wonderful dish with potatoes and he asked me to try it. It was a basic meal and it was very rich in taste. Hmmm yummmy.
I hadn't really appreciated the finer points of Peruvian cooking until my trip. After the meal he showed me around his farm. Some alpacas were being taken for a walk by his children and I noticed that there, in a small courtyard, was a tiny little home made out of clay, it was a home for a family gathering of guinea pigs. They were cute, all fifteen of them. They were scurrying into doors and playing peek-a-boo. Well that did it for me, it immediately brought back the memories of a meal I had a couple of days before in Arequipa. All I could think about were those invigorating smells that accompanied my plate as it was brought before me. And those mouth watering tastes, yes, I had eaten my first guinea pig.
Now, if you're ever in Peru and you'd like to try 'cuy' the first thing to do is to say to the waiter 'quero cuy...sin cabeza por favor' (trans: 'I want cuy...without the head please'), this is a very important thing to do if you're a European visitor. I say this because the animal is cooked whole and will fit nicely onto your plate. The second thing to ask is for the cook to remove the legs, because what you'll receive on your plate will probably remind you of a pet you once had running around your living room.
Of course, after one beer, I had totally forgotten to ask for this and I encountered what appeared to be a decapitated sqirrel on my plate. (For some reason when the guinea pig is cooked, its feet are splayed out as if it's for paragliding off your plate).
However, if you put this little matter aside and actually tasted it you'll find that it's a very enjoyable meat. The colour and texture of chicken, the taste is, of course, somewhat different. Well, I washed it down with the remains of my beer and wandered into town a happy chappy. Don't forget that the brown wrap that accompanies cuy is not batter, it's the skin, but of course you can put that to one side.
Oh yes, one more piece of advice. Do not eat guinea pig late at night, it's not very good for digesting and it might contribute to giving you a very dodgy stomach over the next few days.
Now, some of you readers might think I'm being cruel or maybe a little sick for eating such a little fellow. However, one of the most important things for me when I'm abroad is trying the local dishes and therefore catching something of another culture. I think sometimes it is good to try something different even if it's just the once. You may not believe me but I'm also a keen animal lover.
Ok maybe next year I'll be a vegetarian.

I can tell you I`ve wanted to eat my Guinea pigs once or twice when they won`t stop squeaking and chattering. Only joking, lol.

Silence is golden, well where guinea pigs are concerned definitely

Will have to go and cuddle my guinea pig now ,just to let her know that I mourn for her Peruvian relatives.