The guinea pig is an increasingly popular meat staple. They're energy-efficient, turning a measly diet of leftovers and alfalfa grass into body mass 2x better than cows. Poor farmers raise them with capitol from a nonprofit, then sell them to restaurants, generating much needed income.
They're tasty apparently: flesh is fat and juicy and the skin, when friend is extra crispy. Cuy is a national dish.
Source:
http://www.npr.org/sections/thesalt/2016/10/17/497978232/peruvian-farmers-chefs-yes-chefs-cash-in-on-guinea-pig-craze
