Cone or scoop: Guinea pig ice cream is for sale in Ecuador

It’s a real ice cream flavour: Guinea pig. Anyone who thinks of guinea pigs as pets, squishy squeaking bundles of fur may find that idea hard to digest. rodents are a tritional hot dish in some Latin American countries, including Colombia, Peru and Bolivia. In Ecuor, people typically cook guinea pigs with salt and serve m with potatoes and peanut sauce. But one vendor is taking things to ar gastromic level, serving guinea pigs as a cold dessert.

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guinea pig ice-cream

Some people like ice cream me from “cuy,” as animal is locally kwn. “I was suspicious, but it was tasty,” said Marlene Franco, a 78-year-old retiree who tried a scoop at a stall next to a highway linking Ecuorian capital of Quito to city of Sangolqui. stall owner is María del Carmen Pilapaña, whose offbeat offering inspires disbelief and laughter among first-time customers.

Pilapaña’s operation is small. It consists of two tables in an open area lined with dentists’ clinics and or businesses. Even so, demand is growing. Every week, entrepreneur prepares 150 servings ($1 for a cone) of guinea pig ice cream. She also makes 40 servings of ice cream flavoured with beetles, also tritionally eaten as a salty snack, and a smaller amount of mushroom ice cream.

“My family and my husband thought I was crazy. y didn’t think anyone would like se ice creams, but w y’re our main product,” said Pilapaña, who ackwledges that she h her own doubts about wher her investment would pay off. It was a close call. Out of work, with three children in tow, Pilapaña began attending free training courses for entrepreneurs. She was challenged to do something invative and, after six months of testing, she starting selling her range of ice creams at beginning of September.

Pilapaña mans to concentrate guinea pig flavour after cooking and preparing a pate from animal’s flesh, ds milk or cream and refrigerates concoction until it has rough consistency of ice cream. taste is similar to chicken. beetle and mushroom ice creams include fruits such as pineapple and passion fruit. Beetle ice cream has a slight aroma of wet earth.

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Ants, worms or animals included

Ants, cicas and worms are used to make some desserts, often chocolate-infused ones, in parts of Latin America. But incorporating such ingredients (guinea pigs included) into ice cream is unusual. Carolina Páez, director of anthropology school of Catholic University in Quito, isn’t surprised. “ guinea pig is a very important ancient food in Andean indigeus societies, especially for its high protein content,” she said. Or cultures eat various s of animals, Páez said, “so re is reason to be amazed that Ecuorians eat guinea pigs, even in ice cream.” For Pilapaña, guinea pig ice cream is just beginning. She has new flavours in mind: crab, chicken and pork. “Seeing how my business is picking up, I’m sure I’ll do well,” she said.

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