Why I Can’t Stop Craving Pork Meat Despite the Taboo

The good, the bad, and the ugly about pork.

When I tell people about my love for pork meat, I get the “yuck! gross” look too often. Most people hate pork meat because their tradition or religion forbids it.

I wasn’t raised with food taboos, so I eat almost all kinds of animals. My favorite meats are pork and dog meat. I know this post will get my rating down by pet lovers. We should respect each other’s choices, ok? As you know, one man’s meat is another man’s poison.

I started eating pork when I was 9. My dad came home on the eve of Christmas and handed my mum a grocery bag. To our surprise, he bought pork meat instead of the usual turkey or chicken we eat on Christmas.

As a professional chef/teacher, my mum made a mince of the meat. Minced pork with oyster sauce is sure to tantalize your taste bugs.

On Christmas day, she prepared sweet and sour pork with brown rice. That was the most unforgettable Christmas I had with my dad.

My dad was an international import trader. While traveling across Asia and Europe, he picked up the habit of eating assorted meats. He learned to cook Chinese dishes while living in China as a bachelor for five years.

Most of my cooking skills I learned from my dad. If my dad and mum were to compete in the kitchen, my dad would win by a great margin.

The best part of pork I like is the neck. I also like the scotch and tenderloin, but I do soak them in baking soda to soften them a bit, especially when I’m making sauce.

Some southern barbecue restaurants slow roast their pork till it’s smokey crispy, and so far, these are the best mouth-watering delicacies you can have for dinner.

If you’re eating pork meat for the time, go for bacon or spicy pork bulgogi for those that like spicy food.

But if you want the real deal, try a combination of barbecue pulled pork, roasted chiles, celery, and caramelized onions, mix pepper jack and mozzarella cheese together, and add to the mix. Then wash it down with red wine. Oh my! It tastes like heaven.

Understanding the taboos around pigs and pork meat

Centuries ago in the Middle East, between 5000 to 2000 BCE, pork used to be a favorite meal for most families. Pig poultry was as popular as chicken and other domestic animals. However, pigs were consumed more because they weren’t useful working animals and did not produce secondary products like eggs and wool.

As people migrated more during 1000 BCE, transporting pigs became challenging because pigs needed water to survive. Pigs cannot cool themselves with sweat glands; they must drink lots of water to cool themselves. Hence, the constant need to be transported within an arid and semi-arid region with a sufficient water supply.

Transportation of pigs was more challenging since they could only be moved during cooler seasons. While other animals were used as trades, pigs weren’t, as they needed a great amount of care to sustain.

In parts, Chicken became more useful than pigs. They had less competitive food and labor needs. Chickens survive in any humidity. They consume 3 500 liters of water to produce one kilo of meat, while pigs consume 2,500 liters more.

Chickens were easily traded over pigs and transportation was easier as they were lightweight and did not require large space for storage like pigs during transportation.

Since chickens are smaller, a family could finish one chicken within 24 hours. Unlike pigs, you must preserve the remaining, which is a hurdle for people who travel very often.

But most importantly, chickens produced eggs, a substantial secondary product for human substance. This made chicken a higher protein source than pigs. Under these conditions, humans had to choose chickens over pigs as they had more advantages.

Subsequently, chicken poultry increased while pig poultry declined. Although pigs became a redundant animals compared to other domesticated animals, their delicious taste in meals did not.

However, if pigs had continued to be an integral part of human sustenance, some religions wouldn’t have prohibited them. When pigs lost their purpose to humans, some religious addicts saw an opportunity to restrict people from consuming their substances.

Why Muslims, Jews, and some Christians do not eat pork

Contrary to religious claims, taboos are created to reduce pressure on economical species by preventing sales and harvest. In other words, taboos originated from social norms that do not encourage human sustainability.

Since humans tend to ban things that do not benefit them, pigs became a taboo in order to encourage the production of other livestock.

While some religions, like the Jews, banned pigs as a food source because they do not chew cuds like goats and cows. As such, pork was considered unclean meat since it did not have the same body functions as other hoof animals.

Another study claimed that the ban on pigs by some cultures was due to political oppression. These studies discovered that poor people reared pigs because it was easy to maintain. Pigs grew faster than other animals, and they ate everything.

This made it possible for poor people to control their food chain. But the rich wanted total control over the poor. So they banned pig farming so the poor would be hungry unless they were supplied food by the government.

Regardless of how the taboo around pigs originated, it’s logical that humans, not God imposed pig farming and pork prohibition.

Pig farming and pork consumption have increased over the years

Food brings us together. And not only is pork tasty but it’s also loaded with nutrition. Pork chops and bacon are wildly consumed because of their rich taste and health benefits.

After the great recession, more restaurants started including pork recipes in their menu. People were likely to go out and enjoy these tasty new bacon meals. You can easily find bacon in burgers, tacos, sandwiches, and pizza.

Pork is an efficient meat to produce, it’s high in protein, and it’s a versatile meat — making it an ideal choice for food service. That’s another reason pork is seeing increased sales and popularity.

Food services must produce diverse, healthy, and cost-effective meals, and pork is a great contender for all those needs. The increase in pork consumption in restaurants and eateries leads to increased appetite and demand for pork.

As the demand for pork increased, more people went into pig farming as an export business. In the US alone, pig exportation contributes 11% of the monthly market value. And in 2021, pig exportation hit the highest revenue of $8.1 billion.

Aside from the economic benefits of pig farming, pork is used as a substitute for red meat as a protein source. Since red meat is associated with increased heart disease, and cancer, more people are eating pork because it’s healthier than red meat.

According to researchers, in a study conducted on people aged 18 to 59, 66% eat pork daily, compared with 57% who eat beef, while only 49% consume chicken.

Pork meat is a good source of vitamins and minerals like phosphorus, selenium, and thiamine. It contains more thiamine, a type of B vitamin required for a range of bodily functions, than other red meats like beef and lamb.

Vitamins B6 and B12 also found abundantly in pork, are essential for blood cell formation and brain function. The selenium in pork is essential for proper thyroid function.

Following the discovery and the mystery surrounding pigs, one would question our ancestor’s social and religious claims on pig and pork consumption.

It’s interesting to know that deeply held religious beliefs — and deeply loved meals produced from pork have changed human lives throughout centuries.

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