It is the most commonly consumed meat worldwide, with evidence of pig husbandry dating back to 5000 BCE. Pork shoulder rub, gammon, bacon, and sausage are examples of preserved pork.

Pork is the most popular meat in the Western world, particularly in Central Europe. Some religions and cultures prohibit pork consumption, notably Islam and Judaism. Pigs were domesticated in Mesopotamia around 13,000 BC. Pig being prepared in France during the mid-19th century. Before the mass production and re-engineering of pigs in the 20th century, pork in Europe and North America was traditionally an autumn dish—pigs and other livestock coming to the slaughter in the autumn after growing in the spring and fattening during the summer. A traditional Austrian pork dish, served with potato croquettes, vegetables, mushrooms and gravy.

Pork vindaloo, spicy pork curry from India. As a result, large numbers of pork recipes have been developed throughout the world. Jamón, made from the hind legs of a pig, is the most well-known Spanish dry-cured ham. By 2017, half the world’s pork was consumed in China.

A pork shop in Dubai, United Arab Emirates. Tonkatsu, Japanese breaded deep fried pork cutlet. Pork is popular throughout eastern Asia and the Pacific, where whole roast pig is a popular item in Pacific Island cuisine. It is consumed in a great many ways and highly esteemed in Chinese cuisine.

China was the largest producer of pork in the world in 2020 followed by the European Union and the United States. This section needs additional citations for verification. Please help improve this article by adding citations to reliable sources. Pork may be cooked from fresh meat or cured over time. Cured meat products include ham and bacon.

The carcass may be used in many different ways for fresh meat cuts, with the popularity of certain cuts varying worldwide. Most of the pig can be used to produce fresh meat and, in the case of a suckling pig, the whole body of a young pig ranging in age from two to six weeks is roasted. Danish roast pork or flæskesteg, prepared with crispy crackling is a national favourite as the traditional Christmas dinner. Pork is particularly common as an ingredient in sausages. Many traditional European sausages are made with pork, including chorizo, fuet, Cumberland sausage and salami giving it a succulent finish.

Ham and bacon are popular foods in the west, and their consumption has increased with industrialisation. Non-western cuisines also use preserved meat products. For example, salted preserved pork or red roasted pork is used in Chinese and Asian cuisine. Bacon is defined as any of certain cuts of meat taken from the sides, belly, or back that have been cured or smoked. Slices of bacon are also known as “collops”. Traditionally, the skin is left on the cut and is known as “bacon rind”.

Rindless bacon, however, is quite common. The canned meat Spam is made of chopped pork shoulder meat and ham. Due to the fact that pigs can eat unused food originally meant for humans, and due to the high availability of such food in many industrialized countries, pork and other products from pigs have become securely sourced and low-priced commodities. This makes pig products very popular as raw material in many industrially produced products. Percentages are roughly approximated using US recommendations for adults.

Its myoglobin content is lower than that of beef, but much higher than that of chicken, so the USDA treats pork as a red meat. Pork is a well-known example of a non-kosher food. These are the creatures that you may eat from among all the animals that are upon the land. Everything that possesses a split hoof, which is fully cloven, and that brings up its cud—this you may eat. 8 And the pig, because it possesses split hooves and does not bring up its cud—from its flesh you may not eat. Deuteronomy 14:8 As indicated by the Torah verses, pork is non-kosher because Jews may not consume an animal that possesses one trait but not the other of cloven hooves and regurgitating cud. Hogs, which are not ruminants, do not chew cud as cattle and sheep do.