the fresh meat of the domestic pig, Sus scrofa. The ease and economy with which pigs are reared has made pork an exceptionally important meat around the world, except amongst Jewish and Muslim communities who regard it as unclean. All of a pig can be utilized (indeed, the French have promoted the use of the entire pig carcass to a fine art, that of charcuterie), and the meat is preserved very effectively by traditional methods based on salting, smoking, and curing to produce hams, bacon, and other products which are useful both as meat and as flavourings.
There is a wealth of dishes for both fresh and cured pork. Fresh pork alone is considered here. For the meat of young pigs see sucking pigs.
Pork was relished in classical times. Dalby (1996) draws attention to the highly differentiated Greek vocabulary for denoting pigs of varying ages and sizes, and observes that sucking pigs were a delicacy; the Greek cooks then leapfrogged two sizes up to ‘substantial young pigs’. The same may well have applied in Rome; the Romans certainly liked sucking pig.
Medieval English pork recipes included pies, brawn, and little rissoles. In the 17th and 18th centuries such recipes as are given for fresh pork imply sucking pigs or small pigs and give instructions for collaring and sousing, or baking in a highly spiced pie. Only in the 19th century do instructions for plain grilled cutlets or chops become common.
Porkers, pigs intended to be eaten as fresh meat, are nowadays killed before the age of six months, and at a lower body weight than pigs used for bacon. Their lean meat varies from a light pink to almost white, depending on cut and breed, and, because the animal is young, is tender and mildly flavoured.
Most cuisines have their own fresh pork dishes which depend on the use of aromatic, acid, or fruity flavourings or accompaniments. Cream is sometimes used in sauces for lean fillet or chops, whilst fattier pieces are added to heavy dishes of pulses or preserved cabbage, adding richness and flavour. Sweet-sour flavour combinations are typical of some cuisines, notably those of C. Europe and China. Pork can also be marinated for several days in wine, vinegar, and herbs in imitation of wild boar, a method used across much of C. and S. Europe.
Joints of pork cooked by roasting or braising are popular as cold dishes in many countries. The stock which accumulates during cooking jellies when cold and is served chopped as a garnish. It is also interesting to note the presence of a small but widespread group of dishes using combinations of pork and seafood, especially clams and shrimp.
In Britain, roasting is favoured for large pieces and grilling for small ones. Most cuts are suitable for roasting, although those from the forequarters contain much fat and some connective tissue. Despite the fat content of the joints, the lean has a tendency to dryness, and a different strategy is required to that used for beef and lamb. Longer, gentler heat ensures thorough cooking, while sauces and stuffings help to preserve moisture. In Britain, the crackling is liked and usually left on roasting joints. It is a rare instance of the skin of a land animal being eaten. Herbs, typically sage and onion, are used to make stuffing for roast pork, and fruit is served with it in the form of apple sauce.
In Germany and E. Europe, caraway is a favourite aromatic for pork. Paprika, peppers, and onions are much used in SE Europe. Fresh red or white cabbage, sauerkraut, pulses, potatoes, or dumplings are common accompaniments.
In the French kitchen, favoured aromatics are garlic, rosemary, and juniper berries; some regional dishes combine pork with apples or prunes. Fennel, rosemary, marjoram, garlic, and juniper berries are variously favoured aromatics in Italian pork cookery. Distinctive dishes such as loin of pork cooked in milk, which reduces to provide a grainy sauce, appear in Italian and Spanish cooking. Generally, sweet peppers, paprika, and garlic are favourite flavourings for pork in Spain and Portugal.
American cookery was heavily influenced by English and German practices. Pork and beans, a traditional Saturday meal of New England, declined in popularity during the mid-19th century but gained a new identity when someone thought of canning it, to give the ancestor of modern baked beans. Molasses is used as a flavouring in this dish; it was also important as a condiment for pork in general. Sweet ingredients are characteristic of American pork cookery, including fruits or fruit juices such as apple, cranberry, peach, and pineapple which are used as sauces and garnishes.
A richer fusion of Old and New World ingredients has evolved in S. America. Pork is seasoned with Old World ingredients such as coriander, garlic, oregano, cumin, cinnamon, and cloves in dishes which also contain New World beans, hot peppers, and epazote. Both sweet peppers and chillies in all their forms are important in Latin American pork cookery, and plantains and avocado are sometimes incorporated. Annatto, as a spice or as oil expressed from it, is also used. Sweetness is provided by oranges, plums, or dried fruits, sweet potatoes, corn kernels, or pineapple; sharpness by vinegar or lime juice. Pork is used as filling for tamales, or topping for tortillas, and larger pieces are wrapped in banana leaves for baking. ‘Jerked’ pork, in the Caribbean, indicates a whole pig smeared with spices and cooked over a slow fire on a grill made from newly cut allspice wood, another method thought to derive from Amerindian culture.
Although pork is by far the most important meat in China, it is little used in Japan. In SE Asia generally it is popular except in Muslim areas, such as much of Indonesia. In the Philippines, Spanish influence is highly evident; lechon (whole roast pig) is served on all special occasions, and adobo, a stew flavoured with vinegar and garlic, is often made with pork.
Pork must always be well cooked since pigs may suffer infestation by parasites, notably Trichinella spiralis, a species of worm which develops cysts in the flesh of infected animals. If pork is inadequately cooked, the cysts remain viable and pass into humans. A serious illness, trichinosis, may then result. Properly cured raw pork products, such as prosciutto de Parma, are safe because the organism is killed by the curing process.
See also: andouille; bacon; blood sausages; brawn; caul; charcuterie; chitterlings; collop; coppa; crackling, culatello; ears; feet; ham; head; lachsschinken; lard; larding; lungs; offal; pâté; pig; pork pie; rillettes; salt pork; sausages; smoking foods; sucking pigs; wild boar.
Alan Davidson was a distinguished author and publisher, and one of the world's best-known writers on fish and fish cookery. In 1975 he retired early from the diplomatic service—after serving in, among other places, Washington, Egypt, Tunisia, and Laos, where he was British Ambassador—to pursue a fruitful second career as a food historian and food writer extraordinaire. Among his popular books are Seafood of South-East Asia, North Atlantic Seafood, and Mediterranean Seafood. In 2003, shortly before his death, he was awarded the Erasmus Prize for his contribution to European culture.
Dalby, Andrew (1996), Siren Feasts, London: Routledge.
