Pork Basics

Pork is from the pig. It has long been a staple of the human diet throughout the world, perhaps because pigs are easier to raise than most other farm animals—pigs are prolific breeders, are docile, and will feed on almost anything. In fact, in times past pigs traditionally shared the same space as their breeders, either occupying the lower floor of dwellings or living in close proximity. These conditions persist in certain parts of the world today. Natural historians once thought that the pig was directly descended from the wild boar, which had more prominent tusks than the boars of today, but modern science has shown that these animals are no more than cousins.

Pigs come in various breeds, including the Duroc, Landrace, and Yorkshire, as well as numerous crossbreeds. Over the past three decades, the demand for leaner meat has led to the development of breeds that are 30–50% less fatty by means of genetic manipulation and new diets.

Pigs are called by specific names that denote their age and sex:

Pigs are valued not only for their abundant flesh but also for almost every other part of their bodies, including their abdominal fat (lard), ears, hair (bristles), legs, feet, entrails, and tails, most of which are sold as fresh or prepared meat.

Judaism and Islam both have dietary restrictions against eating pork. These restrictions are thought to have been adopted because the consumption of pork was linked to illness. It was not yet known that the real cause of the illness, trichinosis, was caused not by the pork but by the presence of a microscopic parasitic worm (Trichinella spiralis) in the pork. The main symptoms of trichinosis are gastroenteritis, fever, vomiting, muscular pain, swollen eyelids, and headaches.

It is possible to eliminate the risk of contracting trichinosis when eating pork. This involves killing the parasitic worm in one of two (or sometimes both) ways: