Do you have the courage to try this recipe?
Maybe when roasting pigs.
New York City’s Epicurean is feeding a “special” Ecuadorian delicacy, guinea pigs – known to be a potential pet for children – and offering them as a “very tasty” treat.
At least that’s the experience at restaurant La Casa del Que – literally “the house of the guinea pig” – a cookout in Corona, Queens, which grills and serves the rodent (que) whole, essentially every part. Except “scream.”
On a recent Monday evening, the house was packed with diners eating the 2½-pound animals, who can measure about 16 inches from their snout to their outstretched toes. Pet-sized guinea pigs are usually small but can range from 2 to 3.5 pounds.
“It’s better than chicken. Better than a rabbit, Manager Lucio Barrera told The Post, even claiming that the head is the best part.
And according to Lucio, the $110 cu is selling like hotcakes, requiring the eatery to acquire rodents in large quantities.
But importing South American animals in bulk is no easy task.
After being brought in frozen form from a small farm in Ecuador, they must be processed at customs, which can take time.
“It’s hard because we use so much,” Said Lucio.
The pig owner, who hails from Cuenca, Ecuador, runs the restaurant with her husband, Marcelo Barrera, out of the former Illusion Tavern’s Northern Boulevard location.
They originally specialized in rotisserie chicken, but in response to demand from Ecuadorians hungry for the taste of home they started serving the roly-poly rodents during the COVID-19 pandemic.
“So everyone drives [to] North Boulevard, they start asking, ‘Why don’t you do que instead of chicken?'” Lucio explained. “I said, ‘Let’s do something because life’s too short.'”
Thus, la casa del que Was born.
Pigs are considered a culinary tradition in the South American nation, where they have been a staple among indigenous people for thousands of years, prized for their Low fat and high protein content And the fact is that they are relatively easy to raise.
Cuy devotees have promoted their cultivation as a more sustainable and profitable alternative to cows and other traditional livestock because they require less space and fewer resources.
Despite being a mainstay, rodents are often served at special occasions such as weddings – a couple Mating of guinea pigs is traditionally a gift To the bride’s family.
“in my country, [the] The food is very special,” Lucio, himself an avid fan of the rodents commonly adopted as pets in America, was giddy.
“I love it,” he told The Post. “I eat it every day.”
Casa del Que charges $110 for rodent food, while other items cost about $20, with Lucio joking that they would be even more expensive if purchased from a pet store.
At Casa del Q, specimens are thawed and skewered lengthwise on jumbo rods before being marinated in garlic and other spices and placed over the flame in an outdoor rotisserie.
They are then spun on a Q carousel until crackling and bronzed.
The cooked carcass is served with potatoes and coarse corn and peanut sauce on a bed of rice before being cut with heavy-duty scissors.
What happened by chance during a recent dinner Festival del Que this month – Where locals in Cuenca, Ecuador have gathered for centuries to enjoy roasting rodents – a chef created a pig that surprisingly fed several people for such a small creature.
Decision? When Post stopped by to try Q, it was surprisingly non-gamey, with mild meat that was more well-marbled than rabbit and crispy skin like a fun-sized suckling pig. It wasn’t shrunk on the rotisserie, but the rodent was surprisingly huge, capable of feeding three fairly large people, each bite washed down with Ecuadorian “club” beer served in a salt-rimmed glass.
While most New Yorkers may be inclined to despise rodents—even Our own infamous pizza rat -Q Queens is causing a stir outside the Ecuadorian enclave.
Lucio says it’s already popular among adventurous “gringos” and Chinese gourmands, who he says often eat the whole pig themselves.
However, those with a strong appetite can still enjoy roast chicken and other grilled dishes at the restaurant if they do not feel ready to do so.
