this post was submitted on 24 Sep 2023
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Mildly Interesting

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[–] justlookingfordragon@lemmy.world 50 points 1 year ago (3 children)

Fun Fact; they're called "Meerschweinchen" ("little pigs of the sea") in German as they were imported by Spanish sailors (as food, not as pets). I know they have been used as lifestock in South America way before that, but the sailors were basically the first ever time Germans heard about those animals.

The only thing I find a little weird about this picture is that it isn't skinned. You can buy frozen whole rabbits in Germany, but they're always skinned. Is this a hairless breed or did they somehow remove the fur?

From a food travel show some time back, it seems that a lot of places cook them with the hair on. Not all from what I saw, but not unheard of so maybe it's a "don't remove the fish head/eyes, some people like it" kind or thing.

[–] captainlezbian@lemmy.world 8 points 1 year ago (2 children)

Makes more sense than Guinea pigs considering they’re from the other side of the world from Guinea.

[–] FlyingSquid@lemmy.world 2 points 1 year ago

I believe Guinea in this case has a similar origin to Guiana.

[–] Mkengine@feddit.de 1 points 1 year ago (1 children)

I think in this time Guinea was a name for a far away place and not necessarily the origin.

[–] KittenBiscuits@lemm.ee 1 points 1 year ago

Not Guinea, but I saw guinea pigs raised for food in a village in Tanzania. The local who owned them found it hilarious that we keep them as pets in the U.S. He asked me what we call them, and after i replied guinea pig, he said they definitely don't taste like pig.

[–] Skwerls@discuss.tchncs.de 7 points 1 year ago* (last edited 1 year ago) (2 children)

There are hairless (mostly) guinea pigs, also known as house hippos. Not sure if that's what they used here though. I don't feel like I've ever seen an all pink one, they usually have some brown or black but 🤷‍♂️

[–] FlyingSquid@lemmy.world 2 points 1 year ago

house hippos

Damn it, stop making them sound cute. They're food.