Editing Guinea pig (section)

==== In South America ====
[[File:Cuy or guinea pig, from the restaurant Fogon de los Abuelos in Matus, Ecuador.jpg|thumb|Dish from [[Ecuador]] called ''cuy'']]
[[File:Cuy Peruvian dish.jpg|thumb|A [[Peruvian cuisine|Peruvian dish]] made with ''cuy'']]
Guinea pigs (called ''cuy'', ''cuye'', or ''curí'') were originally domesticated for their meat in the Andes. Traditionally, the animal was reserved for ceremonial meals and as a [[delicacy]] by indigenous people in the Andean highlands. Still, since the 1960s, it has become more socially acceptable for consumption by all people.{{sfn|Morales|1995|page=47}} It continues to be a significant part of the diet in Peru and Bolivia, particularly in the Andes Mountains highlands; it is also eaten in some areas of Ecuador (mainly in the [[Geography of Ecuador#La Sierra (the highlands)|Sierra]]) and in Colombia,{{sfn|Morales|1995|pages=xxvi, 4, 32}} mainly in the southwestern part of the country ([[Cauca Department|Cauca]] and [[Nariño department|Nariño]] departments). Because guinea pigs require much less room than traditional [[livestock]] and reproduce extremely quickly, they are a more profitable source of food and income than many traditional stock animals, such as pigs and cattle;<ref name="Africa">{{cite journal|last = Nuwanyakpa|first = M.|title = The current stage and prospects of guinea pig production under smallholder conditions in West Africa|journal = Livestock Research for Rural Development|date=November 1997|volume = 9|issue = 5|url = http://www.lrrd.org/lrrd9/5/gp951.htm|access-date = 2007-04-16|display-authors=etal}}</ref> moreover, they can be raised in an urban environment. Both rural and urban families raise guinea pigs for supplementary income, and the animals are commonly bought and sold at local markets and large-scale municipal fairs.{{sfn|Morales|1995|pages=32–43}}

Guinea pig meat is high in [[protein]] and low in [[fat]] and [[cholesterol]], and is described as being similar to rabbit and the dark meat of [[chicken (food)|chicken]].<ref name="cbs" /><ref name="csmonitor">{{cite news|last = Mitchell|first = Chip|title = Guinea Pig: It's What's for Dinner|work = The Christian Science Monitor|url= http://www.csmonitor.com/2006/1101/p04s01-woam.html|date = 2006-11-01|access-date = 2007-03-12}}</ref> The animal may be served fried (''chactado'' or ''frito''), broiled (''asado''), or roasted (''al horno''), and in urban restaurants may also be served in a [[casserole]] or a [[fricassee]].<ref name="morales2">[[#Morales|Morales]], pp. 48–67.</ref> Ecuadorians commonly consume ''sopa'' or ''locro de cuy'', a soup dish.<ref name="morales2" /> ''[[Pachamanca]]'' or ''[[huatia]]'', an [[earth oven]] cooking method, is also popular, and cuy cooked this way is usually served with [[chicha]] (corn beer) in traditional settings.<ref name="morales2" />