El cuy It is a rodent mammal native to the Andean region of America, its presence is widespread throughout this geography receiving various names in different countries, thus it is known as guinea pig, acure, guinea pig, guinea pig, coy, guinea pig, curí , among others. It is used in some regions as a pet, in other areas it is used as an experimental animal in laboratories and in nations such as Peru, Colombia, Bolivia and Ecuador it is enjoyed as food.
For its part, the word "chactado", a word of Aymara origin, refers to a method of cooking some foods by pressing them under a weight, which is generally exerted by a voluminous stone, which acts both as a lid, with the purpose that they remain whole and retain their shape.
It is a style to prepare chickens, rabbits and fish. Today other more modern ways of exerting pressure on the food to be cooked have been devised and a model of double metal plates has been designed that allow the pressure on the food product to be adjusted; but the typical thing is to place a hot stone on top of the guinea pig, which helps to make it uniformly crispy, a condition that is favored by the fact that it must be fried in abundant hot oil.
There are versions of separating the guinea pig into pieces before proceeding to cook it; however, the typical and striking thing is to present it in its entirety. Regardless of how you present it, It is a food with abundant protein. which is highly desired in some countries such as Peru.
Cuy Chactado Recipe
Preparation time: 3 hours and 10 minutes
Cook time: 40 minutes
Total time: 3 hours and 50 minutes
Servings: 1
Calories: 96Kcal/100g
Ingredients
- A whole guinea pig, without viscera and longitudinally open on the ventral or front part
- ½ cup of lemon juice
- 5 macerated garlic
- ½ cup of cornmeal
- 1 medium onion, cut into small pieces
- 1 tablespoon paprika or ground paprika
- 1 tablespoon fresh and crushed oregano
- Ground pepper to taste
- Salt to taste
- 2 cups vegetable oil
Additional materials
- A deep container or bowl, to marinate the guinea pig
- A deep pot or frying pan.
- A bulky stone or any device to exert pressure
- Absorbent paper or kitchen towel
Preparation
The guinea pig must be removed all the hairs that cover its skin. Then it must be opened longitudinally on the side, remove all the viscera, wash it very well, dry it with a kitchen cloth or absorbent paper and leave it on a tray for an hour to remove all the water that it may have absorbed during cooking. washed.
During that time, proceed to place the lemon juice, the macerated garlic, the onion cut into pieces, the paprika or paprika, the fresh oregano, the pepper and the salt in a bowl.
Once the guinea pig is very dry, it is introduced into the previous mixture and left to macerate for a minimum of 2 hours, moving it frequently to ensure that the macerating mixture covers it inside and out. After the maceration time, the guinea pig is passed through corn flour.
Pour the oil into the pan and heat over medium heat. When it is very hot, insert the guinea pig, cover it with a dry stone and fry it until it is crisp and golden, which is achieved for around 20 minutes. The guinea pig is turned, placing the stone again to fry it in the same way on the opposite side.
Remove from heat, drain on absorbent paper and serve immediately.
Helpful tips
One way to prepare the guinea pig chactado is to do it keeping the skin of the guinea pig. In this case, after removing the viscera and washing the skin, it should be shaved with a knife or sharp blade to remove all the hairs, then it is recommended to pass the external part of the guinea pig over the flame to complete the removal of the hairs.
Another alternative is to discard the skin, being essential in this case the use of corn flour or wheat flour, to cover it and obtain the crunchy characteristic that it should have.
Nutritional contribution
Guinea pig meat has 19,49% protein, 1,6% fat, 1,2% minerals, 0,1% carbohydrates and 78% water. The protein content makes it a meat of high nutritional value because it exceeds pork meat, which offers 14% protein, and beef cattle, which provides 18,8% protein.
An important characteristic is the low content of cholesterol and triglycerides, which contrasts with a high percentage of linoleic and linolenic fatty acids, which are involved in the development of neurons and cell membranes in general. It also highlights the high content of omega 3 and omega 6 polyunsaturated fatty acids.
Among the minerals that guinea pig meat provides, phosphorus, calcium, zinc and iron can be mentioned, and among the vitamins are thiamin, riboflavin and niacin.
Food properties
Guinea pig meat is recommended in the prevention of cardiovascular diseases and during the treatment of dyslipidemia characterized by high levels of triglycerides and cholesterol.
It is an easily digestible meat, recommended in cases of anemia and malnutrition due to its high protein value.
