Cone or scoop: Guinea pig ice cream for sale in Ecuador

QUITO, Ecuador – It’s a real ice cream flavour: guinea pig.

Anyone who thinks of guinea pigs as pets _ cute, squishy, squeaking bundles of fur _ might find that idea hard to digest.

The rodents are a traditional hot dish in some Latin American countries, including Colombia, Peru and Bolivia. In Ecuador, people typically cook guinea pigs with salt and serve them with potatoes and peanut sauce.

But one vendor in Ecuador’s capital is taking things to another gastronomic level, serving guinea pigs as a cold dessert.

The stall owner is María del Carmen Pilapaña, whose offbeat offering inspires disbelief and laughter among first-time customers. She also makes ice cream flavoured with beetles and mushroom ice cream.