Eating Cuy in Ecuador

Last Updated on December 11, 2025

Estimated reading time: 5 minutes

By Jim Ferri

I rarely write about food since I’m not an adventurous eater.

That writing is usually undertaken exceptionally well by my wife Marjorie, who believes the hotter and spicier something is, all the better. On the other hand, my perspective is pepper pushes the culinary heat index far enough.

But when we visited Ecuador, the tables turned when I found guinea pig, known here as “cuy,” to be a popular part of the local diet. It happened when we were in beautiful Cuenca, high up in the Andes, where we were spending a few days.

With our guide Cecilia, we were roaming about the town’s outdoor market, an interesting place filled with many indigenous people. With their heads topped with Panama hats, the Cuencans were selling all sorts of vegetables and other foods including cuy. It was then I realized I had to take the culinary leap…

Wandering About the Market

We had wandered about the market for about an hour, fascinated not only by the bustle and riot of color, but also by several types of vegetables we’d never seen before. It was a great way to spend the morning, much better than our visit to the market in Otavalo, which is a tourist trap. Cuenca’s market though, was the real thing. In fact, I don’t remember seeing more than two or three other foreigners in the whole place.

After the three of us had wandered down just about every little lane ogling both the produce and the people, Cecilia asked us if we wanted to see the meat market. “It’s also where you can see locals eating cuy,” she added.

“Of course,” we replied, and followed her out of the open marketplace. The meat market was two blocks away, she explained, because of the need to separate the butchers from the produce for sanitary reasons.

A Hive of Activity

The market looked like a quiet building from the outside, but upon entering we found a hive of activity. Picnic-type tables, most filled with people eating, lined the periphery. The place itself occupied two floors and we followed Cecilia up to the second, which turned out to be a balcony that looked down upon the butchers below.

Around this balcony, though, were dozens of little stalls each with a woman serving slices of the giant pigs (the Porky kind) on spits, along with a side of fried potato pancakes. After one of the women gave us a taste, it was readily apparent that fatty pork was a popular local dish.

After wandering back down, we came upon a line of women sitting about large round charcoal grills outside. Over many of them cuy were slow-roasting on large wooden stakes. And nearby, people were feasting on the seemingly bizarre barbecue.

Guinea Pigs Galore

These weren’t the small guinea pigs kids keep in cages in their bedrooms either, but monsters as large as a fair-size cat. Cecilia told us it was a local delicacy and each took about an hour to cook.

Although it was totally out of character for me, I asked Cecilia if we could try one. I glanced over and saw the look of horror on Marjorie’s face. “You’re not really going to try that, are you?” she asked. I told her that I had heard about cuy and I couldn’t leave Ecuador without at least trying one. I thought she would faint.

It cost us eight dollars – the US dollar is the legal currency of Ecuador – and we took our little prize to one of the picnic tables. Though dismayed that the head hadn’t been taken off as we had requested, we proceeded with our taste test nonetheless.

You Don’t Find a Lot of Meat While You’re Eating Guinea Pig

Cecilia dove in first, showing us how to do it all. When I took my turn, I realized it was red meat, not white as I expected. And I was surprised as to how little meat there actually was. It was almost like eating a Cornish hen.

More surprising was that it tasted like a cross between chicken and pork without being as greasy as what we had tasted earlier upstairs. I ate a bit more and then passed it back to Cecilia.

Alongside most of the tables sat a line of small, cute dogs who just stared at us, with no barking or growling or nudging anyone for handouts. They fascinated me, since when you tossed a piece of meat there was no scramble to take it away from one another. They all just sat there patiently and quietly awaited their turn.

I’m certain that when we left, taking the other half of the meal to our driver, they were unhappy. On the other hand, although she’s a dog-lover, Marjorie was more than happy we were moving on.

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You may also enjoy: Things to Do in Cuenca, the Magical City in the Andes / Top Places To See in Ecuador / A Guide to A Galapagos Cruise Vacation