It is remarkable how these Peruvian women separate the ideas of keeping these adorable guinea pigs (known locally as cuy) as household pets, and later on tossed into the frying pan as dinner. In a competition to raise the “fattest, fastest, most fashionable or tastiest rodent,” the indigenous women of Huacho, Peru battle out to keep their home-bred cuy from becoming stuffed swine for the village as such is the fate of the unvictorious hogs.

“We never raise them as pets. We raise them to sell and of course, to eat,” said Betty Andres, from the Ayarpongo community, who was competing to retain her first place title from last year.

Funny how people like us consider this practice to be disgusting or cruel. But come to think of it, stuffed guinea pigs are no less unusual than skillet chicken rosemary. It’s just that, we never dress them in cute little outfits only to see Pepe, the neighbor, taking a bite of its crunchy little tail.

Read Primped Peru guinea pigs tossed in frying pans

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Image Source: Reuters Photo via Yahoo! News