Looks can be deceiving, even in food

by Magaly Chin

So far we’ve seen dishes made of chicken, beef or fish. But have you ever thought of guinea pig? Well in my country there’s a traditional dish whose star is none other than a crunchy guinea pig. I know, it doesn’t sound too appetizing but you’ll have to trust me when I say it tastes really good. To make this dish, the whole guinea pig (called “cuy” in Peru) is roasted over a spit. Usually one serving requires one cuy since its size is not big enough to be cut.

Roasted cuy is considered a delicacy and it’s mostly served on especial occasions. It’s quite messy to eat because the best way to have it is only using your hands. I tried it for the first time not long ago, because the looks of the dish used to put me off a bit until I felt brave enough to eat it. But being honest, it tasted so good that I wondered why I didn’t do that before.

This dish is so popular that it even has its own holiday celebrated in October. Recently, chefs have started to go gourmet with the cuy and have been using it in other dishes instead of main ingredients like smoked fish.

Reference:

http://libroderecetas.com/files/recetas/cuy-chactado.jpg

Cow got your tongue?

by Aiken Parker

Gyūtan, or "cow tongue" (That's right, "cow tongue") is the first dish I'm covering that I've actually had the pleasure of trying. Understandably those of whom I was eating it with found it quite off-putting; I rather, enjoyed the chewy texture and strong beefy taste.

This delicacy originated in Japan and more specifically within the city of Sendai. I had it served on a skewer but having it atop a bowl of rice is also common. In 2003, gyūtan restaurants faced a devastating crisis as beef imports from the U.S (90% reliant) were temporarily banned as a result of a mad cow disease outbreak.

References:

https://battera.co/wordpress/wp-content/uploads/2014/11/m25_00-min.jpg

http://resep-makanan.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/01/resep-gyu-tan-don.jpg