Exotic meats

La Casa Del Cuy restaurant in Queens, New York City specializes in Ecuadorian cuisine with one exotic delicacy as its main crowd-drawer.

The skewered “pig” measuring 16 inches long and weighing 2.5 pounds tastes better than chicken or rabbit, with the head as the best part, manager Lucio Barrera told the New York Post.

Despite its $110 price, the cuy or roast guinea pigs are selling like hotcakes, being a traditional food of indigenous Ecuadorians, according to Barrera.

The animals are imported frozen and in bulk from a farm in Ecuador, where local farmers prefer to raise them than cows and other livestock for being more sustainable and profitable.

Even more exotic are the meat sold at Michael Reiss’ shop in Kade, Germany.

The Wildererhütte’s bestsellers are sausages and meatballs made from animals that are abundant in the area.

“It is well received. I’ve never had anyone say it’s disgusting or that you can’t eat it. Honestly, everyone likes it,” said Reiss, CNN reported.

Reiss claimed customers even come from distant cities and are curious to try his raccoon meatballs.

“What does it taste like? Not too dissimilar to other meats you know. It doesn’t have a overly unique taste. It’s slightly softer than other meat,” he said, according to CNN.

Aside from being lucrative, selling raccoon meat also helps get rid of what residents regard as a pest and threat to reptiles and amphibians which they eat.