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Pork and Cuy: Street Food in Cuenca Ecuador

Shortly after your arrival in Cuenca, you’ll realize that there are some pretty unique things here. One of the things tourists and expats enjoy seeing (and eating) is street food. In this post, you’ll learn about pork and cuy in Cuenca.

Roasted pork in Cuenca EcuadorOne of the things tourists and expats enjoy seeing in Cuenca Ecuador is the street food.

Pork and Cuy: Street Food in Cuenca Ecuador

There are a number of different things sold as street food in Cuenca, like salchipapas (french fries with a sausage/wiener on top,) bags of fruit or coconut slices, and the pastel-colored meringue with sprinkles on top.

But when it comes to street food two items rise above all others as attention grabbers: the pork and cuy.

Pork street food in Cuenca Ecuador

Freshly Roasted Cuy on a Stick

For example, you may wonder what the small chicken-sized animal is – on a stick – roasting over a grill. It is known locally as “cuy”. It is what we know as guinea pig, and it is the local delicacy. It is eaten on special occasions and is one of the pricier meals here.

Loved by some, and held in disdain by others, the cuy is roasted whole over an open grill.

The cuy industry here is quite large, and in the surrounding countryside, you’ll see large fields of alfalfa – the food of choice for cuy farms. At the open markets, you can purchase them live, cleaned or roasted. Your choice.

Cuy street food in Cuenca Ecuador
Avenida Don Bosco is a good place to see the pork and cuy for sale, that’s where the pictures for this post were taken. 

This food stand smells amazing. They sell some yummy-looking side dishes to go along with the rich meat.

Street food on Don bosco Cuenca Ecuador
Street food Cuenca Ecuador
We have tried the cuy and it was good. We haven’t tried the pork yet but it smells amazing!

Fresh Cuy

Whole (Raw) Pork

Another unique feature here in Cuenca, is the roasted pig – you’ve probably never seen pork like this before. A stroll down a main road will provide many opportunities to sample the numerous ways to cook pork.

The pork at the food stands looks cooked but it isn’t. Usually, the skin is browned up with a blowtorch to remove the hair and then rubbed in oil or butter and browned up again.

As customers come by the vendor will cut off the slice they want and cook it for them at the food stand or give it to them to cook at home.

Roasted pork in Cuenca Ecuador
Normally the pig is prepared the way shown in these photos but we have seen the pork prepared differently. Sometimes the pig is stretched out on a large grill. The grill is rotated above a huge BBQ until the meat is fully cooked.

First, the whole pork is torched (with a blowtorch), to burn off the hair, and roast the skin. Then the body is scraped, to remove the layer of black ash. Then it is rubbed in butter, to give an amazing aroma.

Then, throughout the day, the pig is slowly butchered and cooked for passersby. It is deep-fried (in pork fat, no less), pan-fried, grilled, and cooked in just about any other way you can imagine.

Roast Pig and Cuy
Like eating? Then you’ll love our guide to Ecuadorian food

You will want to get some advice from locals about safe places to try this – not all street food is safe. However, after boiling in hot oil for a few hours, one could imagine that any bacteria that were present should be long dead.

Have you tried the pork or cuy? What did you think of it? Please share your thoughts by commenting on this post.

You might also enjoy learning about Filipino food – they have a number of pork dishes that are similar to Ecuador’s fried pork.

Moise Greavu

Wednesday 20th of February 2019

Is beef available in markets to cook at home.

Bryan Haines

Thursday 21st of February 2019

Yes - at the markets and supermarkets.

Kendall

Monday 21st of May 2018

I didn't know the name "cuy" when I was in Ecuador (Chimborazo province). I only found out about it when I returned home but needless to say I was surprised when I saw guinea pigs on a spit on the roadside as a sort of street meat. I didn't work up the nerve to try it but from articles like yours and others, it sounds like it's quite the delicacy. Thanks for sharing!

Four etired English profesors of the University of Cuenca

Monday 11th of January 2016

As most of us were born and lived in Cuenca, we want to clarify the article. Basically there are three different ways of preparing pork. One way to prepare it is to burn the whole pork either with a blow torch or with a bunch of eucalyptus branches which have been set on fire; this gives the pig skin a delicious taste. The rest of the meat is prepared in different ways, such as "chicharrón" (meat ) fried in its own fat for a long time. The other parts are baked, fried or cooked in several ways. Another way is called "puerco hornado" which means backed pork. The pictures in the article are of backed pork. This kind of pork is backed and very well cooked. Finally, we have the "puerco a la barcosa", roasted on a barbecue pit turning it continuously for many hours. Consequently, this pork is also very well cooked. We think that there is no risk to eat pork in Cuenca or any other place in Ecuador.

Bryan Haines

Tuesday 12th of January 2016

Thanks for your comment. It's great to have this added detail!

Four retired professors from the University of Cuenca

Monday 11th of January 2016

Typographical errors

Alberto

Wednesday 2nd of December 2015

Hey Guys if you look for clean and well served traditional food in Cuenca this is the place: https://www.tripadvisor.co/Restaurant_Review-g294309-d4228440-Reviews-The_Mills_of_the_Batan-Cuenca_Azuay_Province.html

Nor Jones

Friday 11th of April 2014

Last November we had roasted pig at road side stands in both Quito and Cuenca. The food in both places was wonderful and the people were very friendly. At the time we did not think about trichinosis as we were having such a good time. However, in each case the pig appeared to be fully cooked and we were eating slices cut directly from the body.