That is how guinea pigs got to Europe originally- explorers that visited South America brought some back as a food source. AND rumored how they got their name- as they made noises that reminded them of pigs and they were sold for a guinea (a coin). Someone thought they were cute and made theirs a pet instead of eating it- smart person!

Lots of things that we see as pets are eaten in foriegn countries- dogs being the most obvious.