BBC reports on Venezuela’s giant rodent cuisine:
While in many countries the Easter dish may be lamb, in Venezuela a traditional delicacy around this time of the year is the capybara, the world’s biggest rodent.
The capybara is a distant cousin to the common guinea pig but bigger and river-based like a beaver.
Many Venezuelans regard the semi-aquatic creature as more fish than meat – a useful description during Lent when it is eaten as a replacement for red meat in this largely Roman Catholic country.
Not sure if I would eat it, would you?
I’ve eaten capybara many times in Bolivia. It is similar to young pig and can be prepared the same way. It’s great. Anybody who will eat a chicken should eat anything.
I don’t actually remember posting this, even though it’s true. Even better is Jochi pintada, a smaller version of the Capybara. It’s cinnamon colored with white spots like a faun Breaks your heart to eat them. You cry all the way to the table.
People who’d eat chickens would even eat EGGS!
Michael, thewanderingchef
Hi Michael I imported this post and comments from an old blog of mine, so though the name of the blog has changed, your original comment was from you.