Travel Food Porn: Ecuador (Part 2)...On the Hunt for the Pig

Before traveling to South America, like any good eater, I did research on what I'd be dining on during my time there. There were some general themes. Ceviche. Potatoes. Pork. More Potatoes. Guinea Pig.

Me: "Umm...what? Surely you don't mean the household pet?"

Lonely Planet: "Yes, and they are delicious!"

Me: "Hmmm..."

I asked about it once I arrived in Ecuador. I was told the following:

Native Son: "Oh no...the guinea pigs down here aren't like the household pet variety. They are wild. And bigger. No worries. Taste like chicken!"

I wasn't completely convinced they wouldn't look exactly like I pictured them. The good thing was I never had one as a pet. The bad thing was I was informed that most places that serve them in South America serve them whole, face staring back at you and everything. I had flashbacks of my brother ordering the whole lobster as a child during one of our beach trips and the face staring back at him completely ruined any grand ideas to eat lobster that night.

I was first greeted with a creepy photo/painting of a small child eating a guinea pig at a restaurant on our way back from a tour during my first day in Quito. I stared at the image (shown above) and once it was clear that it was in fact a guinea pig, I started to wonder if it truly helped or hurt the situation.

The next day, during a trip to the Equator line, there were some guinea pigs hanging out in a little hut area. I know it was part of the hokey tourist attraction, but they truly were just like the household pet. My friend Michael vowed we would definitely eat some before we left Ecuador for our respective post-wedding excursions. I don't have a photo of those guinea pigs, but this fun pic of Michael, Megan and myself straddling the equator.

Time was running out in Ecuador and so I found myself dining in an Ecuadorian food restaurant with Michael and other new friends from the wedding. Granted, it wasn't the most authentic, down and dirty of places (no guinea pigs roasting on a fire pit in the front), but they did serve guinea pigs by the half or the whole, and our dining companions were game. We opted to get the half (which half we got remained a mystery until the food was delivered) so that we could dine on other foods there as well. Probably the best ceviche I had in South America I ate at this restaurant.

But now for what you've all been waiting for. The illustrious guinea pig. It's pretty clear from this picture which half we got. We all split the pig, as it were, and the verdict was decent.

We all felt it tasted a bit like a gamey dark meat chicken. They cooked it crispy, which cut down on some of the grease I was expecting. I found it better than expected, but not necessarily something that I was game to go eat again.

And perhaps it was the "exotic" appeal, but most restaurants that I saw serving it jacked up the price a bit. So needless to say, they were totally cater to us folks. And we took the bait, but so glad we did. Because adventurous eating is what I'm all about when I travel. Next stop? Peru!