Guinea pig, a classic treat in Peru, didn’t seem that menacing or unseemly even after we visited a home in the Sacred Valley where three dozen adorable, furry little pup-like pigs scuttled about. To understand how beloved the guinea pig is to local gourmands, step into the Cathedral in Lima and see a Peruvian painter's version of "The Last Supper." Jesus and his disciples sit around a table with a pomegranate, papaya, a passion fruit and roasted guinea pig.

        Certainly, I decided, a first tasting for me could not be threatening at MAP Cafe, the very proper upscale domain of chef Coque Ossio set in a glass rectangle in the courtyard of Cuzco’s Museum of Pre-Colombian art. “Crispy Cuy Drumsticks over a creamy Andean corn puree,” the menu offered, so I expected a measure of anonymity, and certainly, some gentrification.  I watched a woman across the street relishing her cuy – it looked like fried chicken.  Alas, it had been fried to a fiercely brittle crust – I was afraid to break a tooth.  I tore it apart with my hands (as the waiter suggested) and got a bite of the flesh. Not unpleasant at all.  Just too dry. A finger bowl followed.

        Next night at the dining room in the Hotel Monastario across the square from our Hotel La Casona, I found it again, listed as a specialty on the English menu: deep fried guinea pig with green lettuce, artichokes, apple.   The ruffled greens were wimpy but the three small breaded squares looking like crisp, browned veal Milanese were delicious – the meat moist and juicy, not as boring as veal.