Pork

• 1. Introduction

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  Pork is the culinary name for the meat of Sus domesticus, the domestic pig, and it feeds more people than almost any other animal on Earth. By 2017, half of all the pork consumed in the world was eaten in a single country: China. That figure alone raises a question that runs through this entire story. How did one animal become so deeply woven into so many different cuisines, economies, and religious identities, all at the same time? The answers reach back further than most listeners might expect, touching on medieval French guilds, ancient scriptural debates, and a surprisingly recent advertising campaign that tried to convince Americans that pork was not even red meat.

• 2. A Very Old Relationship

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  Pigs were domesticated in Mesopotamia around 13,000 BC, making them among the earliest animals humans ever brought under their control. Evidence from Cishan in ancient China places pig domestication there at around 8000 BP, or roughly 6,000 BC. These two independent origins, separated by thousands of miles, hint at why pork spread so widely across human culture so early. The pig was easy to feed, not needed for labor or transport, and could convert kitchen scraps into meat efficiently. In rural Chinese tradition, pork was shared to mark important occasions and to strengthen community bonds. That social role, tied to feasting and celebration, gave the animal a cultural weight that outlasted any practical calculation about nutrition or cost.

• 3. The Art of Preservation

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  Charcuterie, the branch of cooking devoted to prepared meat products from pork, was formalized in 15th-century France through a guild system that regulated food production in each city. The charcutiers produced cooked, salted, and dried meats that varied region to region. The only raw meat they were legally permitted to sell was unrendered lard. Their repertoire included pâtés, rillettes, sausages, bacon, trotters, and head cheese. These preparations were originally a practical solution to a world without refrigeration. Before the mass production of pigs in the 20th century, pork in Europe and North America was traditionally an autumn dish. Pigs were slaughtered after growing through spring and fattening across summer. That seasonal rhythm is why apples, harvested at the same time of year, became a standard pairing with fresh pork. The combination proved so appealing that year-round availability of both foods has not diminished its popularity.

• 4. China and the Strategic Reserve

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  In 2006, nearly 100 million metric tons of pork were consumed worldwide, according to the USDA's Foreign Agricultural Service. China's portion of that figure was already so large that its consumption in 2006 was 20% higher than it had been in 2004, with a further 5% increase projected for 2007. By 2015 the worldwide total had reached 109.905 million metric tons. China's dominance in global pork figures reflects deep cultural preferences. Pork is preferred over beef there for economic and aesthetic reasons. The pig does not need to be used for labor, it is straightforward to feed, and the colors and texture of pork are considered more appealing. The taste and smell are described as sweeter and cleaner than beef, and the meat is considered easier to digest. This cultural centrality goes so far that China maintains what it calls a "strategic pork reserve", a national stockpile of the meat held to stabilize prices and supply. Red braised pork, known as hong shao rou and originating from Hunan Province, was one of Mao Zedong's favorite dishes.

• 5. Sacred Prohibitions

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  Leviticus chapter 11 sets out the prohibition at its clearest: the pig possesses split hooves but does not bring up its cud, and therefore its flesh may not be eaten. Deuteronomy chapter 14 repeats the same ruling. These two passages form the scriptural foundation for the Jewish dietary law that makes pork the most widely recognized example of a non-kosher food. The medieval philosopher Maimonides supported this classification by describing the pig as unclean in both its habits and its diet. Scholars have debated the underlying logic. One scholar, Douglas, pointed to the pig's status as an animal raised by non-Israelites that ate carrion and fell outside the standard classification of ungulates. Harris disagreed, noting that Egyptians and Sumerians also avoided pigs and that other animals, such as goats, ate carrion without being declared unclean. Harris proposed environmental and economic explanations instead. In modern Israel, pig-raising is limited by law to certain areas and institutions. Annual pig slaughter rose from an estimated 50,000 animals in 1960 to 180,000 in 2010, with pork available through non-kosher supermarket chains, including Mizra and Tiv Ta'am, which cater primarily to Russian immigrants. A modern Hebrew euphemism for pork is "white meat". For Islamic dietary law, the Quranic basis appears in several surahs, with one passage making explicit allowance only for genuine necessity. Throughout the Islamic world, many countries restrict or outright ban the importation and sale of pork products, while others permit it in hotels and restaurants serving non-Muslim populations.

• 6. Health, Risk, and Reinvention

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  The International Agency for Research on Cancer has classified unprocessed red meat as probably causing cancer, with colorectal cancer specifically identified. Processing pork through salting, curing, or smoking increases those health risks further. The World Cancer Research Fund recommends limiting red meat to no more than three servings per week. Against this backdrop, in 1987 the U.S. National Pork Board launched an advertising campaign positioning pork as "the other white meat", exploiting a public perception that chicken and turkey were healthier choices. The campaign reached 87% of consumers who could identify pork with that slogan. The board retired the phrase on the 4th of March 2011. Trichinosis, caused by the larvae of the roundworm Trichinella spiralis, was once a common risk from eating undercooked pork. Between 2002 and 2007, an annual average of 11 cases per year were reported in the United States, most traced to wild game rather than commercial pork. The decline reflects decades of legislation banning the feeding of raw meat garbage to hogs, wider commercial and home freezing practices, and public awareness campaigns. The FSIS currently recommends cooking ground pork to 160 degrees Fahrenheit and whole cuts to 145 degrees followed by a 3-minute rest, figures that represent the accumulated outcome of that public health effort.