Travelers to Ecuador may be surprised to find that their pet guinea pigs, known as cuys in Spanish, make not only a delicious meal, but are one of the healthiest meats around.

Cuys have been meals for a long time in the Andean countries of Ecuador, Peru, Bolivia, and Colombia, where they once roamed wild in forests. Traditionally families keep cuys in the kitchen where they are happy eating scraps and running around freely. Although they are located indoors, they never make it into the family unit as a cherished pet, and are treated more like chickens.

Now they are also raised in farms like Guillermo Andrade’s in Puembo, about 40 minutes outside of Quito. His farm has about 720 cuys and is located on the family hacienda. Combined with a neighboring farm, Andrade sells 300 to 400 cuys monthly.

“Cuys are becoming the meal of choice for people suffering from high cholesterol. The market for them keeps growing,” says Andrade. Fattened up with a diet of alfalfa, herbs, and vitamins, they actually have very little fat, and are a healthier meat than beef, pork, or chicken. He used to look for sellers at various markets, but with cuys’ popularity increasing, he now sells all his animals to one restaurant, which goes through 1,500 every week.

The animals breed quickly, require less space, and cost less to raise than other types of livestock. INFA, a governmental organization for children and families, recently expressed interest in buying a batch of Andrade’s cuys to give to groups of indigenous families in the Amazonian regions of Ecuador, with the idea that they could start small farms of their own and have a more secure source of food and income.

Andrade’s business is a good example of simple organic farming. He feeds his cuys primarily alfalfa along with other herbs, which he grows on a small adjacent plot.  No harsh chemicals are needed because the climate is good and the amounts grown are small. Furthermore, he uses guinea pig waste to fertilize his plants. Cuys spend up to two months in the farm until they reach market weight of one kilo (2.2 lbs). At this point, people have a whole range of options when it comes to consuming a cuy.

Like most meats, cuys are prepared a number of ways, smoked, roasted, in stews and as sandwiches. The most popular way of cooking a cuy is also the most striking in appearance; rotisserie style. Here the whole animal is skewered and roasted on a stick like a chicken. This can be found throughout Ecuador, especially during small town festivals. The cooking process takes about an hour and a half and is generally prepared in advance. Another tasty way of cooking cuy is to fry it in oil. This preparation takes only 5 minutes and is a specialty of Imbaburra, the northern province of the popular town of Otavalo. While it may seem strange, those in Ecuador should not miss the chance to eat the creature that squealed all night in their childhood bedroom.