Bring out the Guinea Pigs

DISSIDENT

Banned
I read somewhere that they were bred to be larger by Native American cultures to make up for a lack of protein in the available food supply, meat containing protein.
 
Well, as a Peruvian, I have some things to add. Guinea Pigs aren't only for the poor, everybody enjoys them, and Guinea Pigs come bigger than the domestic size you all see in other countries. Look at http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Roast_Guinea_Pig.jpg warning, it shows cooked Guinea Pigs. Most cooked ones are a general breed that tend to be slightly bigger than the average household Guinea Pig. More importantly, Guinea Pigs breed fast, very, very fast. With 4 Guinea Pigs, Male and Female, you could have an average of 6 more Guinea Pigs every 2 months. 6 guinea pigs multiplied by 6 pairs of 2 month is equal to 36 Guinea Pigs a year on average with only 4 Guinea Pigs. Guinea Pigs live to an average of 4 years, so 36 multiplied by 4 would be roughly 140 Guinea Pigs that originate from 4 Guinea Pigs. Not to mention that the others would start breeding........

Point being, with 10 Guinea Pigs, I think weekly consumption of meat is a definite possibility for even poor European peasants.
 
Well, as a Peruvian, I have some things to add. Guinea Pigs aren't only for the poor, everybody enjoys them, and Guinea Pigs come bigger than the domestic size you all see in other countries. Look at http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Roast_Guinea_Pig.jpgwarning, it shows cooked Guinea Pigs. Most cooked ones are a general breed that tend to be slightly bigger than the average household Guinea Pig. More importantly, Guinea Pigs breed fast, very, very fast. With 4 Guinea Pigs, Male and Female, you could have an average of 6 more Guinea Pigs every 2 months. 6 guinea pigs multiplied by 6 pairs of 2 month is equal to 36 Guinea Pigs a year on average with only 4 Guinea Pigs. Guinea Pigs live to an average of 4 years, so 36 multiplied by 4 would be roughly 140 Guinea Pigs that originate from 4 Guinea Pigs. Not to mention that the others would start breeding........

Point being, with 10 Guinea Pigs, I think weekly consumption of meat is a definite possibility for even poor European peasants.

Thank you very much. That is much more informative than the bits of information I've found around the net.
Now if only someone had realized their potential we'd all be eating Guinea Pig burgers today. :(
 

Valdemar II

Banned
Thank you very much. That is much more informative than the bits of information I've found around the net.
Now if only someone had realized their potential we'd all be eating Guinea Pig burgers today. :(

Not really rabbit are a good source of protein, and was used in many places as food and still are, but it has also been dropped many places because it was rural poor man food. If Guinea Pigs was eaten on large scale outside Latin America, with the growth of the urban population, they would likely have been mostly dropped again.
 
This works for squirrels, perhaps for these also?

Cider Squirrels Southern Style

4 lg Squirrels (gray, fox, or black), or 2 rabbits
Flour
Salt and pepper
1/4 ts Powdered sage
1/4 ts Powdered rosemary
3 tb Bacon or sausage fat
1 qt Dry cider
4 tb Butter
1 c Heavy cream


Skin, eviscerate, and disjoint the squirrels, making sure to remove the small scent sacs from beneath the forelegs. If these glands are not removed, a bitter taste will be imparted to the dish. Soak the pieces for one hour in cold water to which 1 teaspoon salt has been added. Remove, drain, and pat dry.

Roll the pieces in flour seasoned with salt, pepper, sage and rosemary. (Prepared poultry seasoning is a good substitute.) Heat the bacon fat in a deep skillet and brown the squirrel pieces on all sides. Add the cider and simmer until the meat is alnost tender. Remove the cover and continue cooking until the meat is tender and most of the liquid absorbed. Remove the squirrel pieces and put aside to cool. Reserve any pan liquids for the gravy.

Roll the squirrel in the seasoned flour again, heat the butter in another skillet, and rebrown the squirrel until golden and crisp. Put the squirrel pieces on a heated platter, and keep warm, while you add all juices and scrapings to the skillet. Make a paste of a tablespoon of flour and the heavy cream. Pour this slowly into the pan juices, stirring constantly, until the sauce is smooth, hot, and slightly thick. Ladle the gravy over the squirrel pieces and serve.
 
Not really rabbit are a good source of protein, and was used in many places as food and still are, but it has also been dropped many places because it was rural poor man food. If Guinea Pigs was eaten on large scale outside Latin America, with the growth of the urban population, they would likely have been mostly dropped again.
I agree with you, I said earlier they'd probably drop out of fashion by the 1950's.
But I've eaten some strange things, so if there was a place to find and eat guinea pigs anywhere near me, I'd go and eat them. As it is, I'd have to buy the guinea pigs and kill them, which I can't do. I can shoot an animal in a forest but not buy them and kill them. My concious needs to give them a fighting chance.
So I'll have to go to Peru before I can try.

Grimm that sounds good. But I'd have to use rabbit, the squirrels in my hometown are way too small.
 
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