GUINEA PIG MARKET

In contemporary South America guinea pigs or cuyes continue to be bred for food, with an estimated 65,000 guinea pigs eaten annually in Peru alone. The cuy is also consumed very widely in Ecuador and Bolivia, as well as southern Colombia and northern Argentina and Chile. Many of these animals are reared in peasant households, like these cuyes photographed at the Pisac Market near Cusco. Many, however, are also farmed in large breeding facilities. Since 2013 Peru has observed National Cuy Day (the second Friday in October) to promote the breeding and consumption of this native animal, and the town of Huacho, north of Lima, hosts a cuy festival every July, which includes cuy fashion competitions and cuy races (the contestants are eaten afterwards). Chinese immigrants to Peru have also given a new twist to traditional cuy dishes, with restaurants in Lima’s Chinatown serving sweet-and-sour guinea pig fried in oyster sauce. Eaten, sacrificed, fashioned from clay, represented in art and adopted as a pet, the tiny cuy or guinea pig has developed an impressive global career.