Pig is great. To me, every part of pig tastes different (unlike some meats I have come across). From rich ham to delicious bacon to mouth-watering pork chops, there's a whole world of tasting within a pig. Whatever part you like, you can't deny the versatility and deliciousness of that wonderfully cooked meat. How did it get to this point? Let's explore it.
As we know, pigs like to live in forests because pigs like acorns and that's the place they could find them. They could eat them all day if they could. At first, people hunted wild pigs in the forest. The problem with that is wild boars are dangerous to hunt. They are very smart and have those long sharp tusks and teeth that could mean a very painful death.
That's when the general population discovered that it was safer to domesticate them. You have to admit that it is definitely much tamer than chasing wild boars around. The first taming of wild pigs began about 6000 BC in West Asia. In china it was right around 4900 BC and by 1500 BC Europe was following right along beside them.
Pigs were eaten everywhere from West Asia to England, Scandinavia, to North Africa. Pigs are independent and, therefore; easy to take care of. They are basically fed on garbage and that helped the farmers that were trying to save a few bucks. Another plus is that pig meat is easy to preserve, so it definitely would be the perfect fit for people way back in the day.
Then at least around 1000 BC most Jews would not eat pig meat. Pig meat is forbidden to the Jews. It says in their bible that they are not allowed to eat it. For awhile there, Christians didn't eat pork, and then around 50 AD is when they decided that the rule did not apply to them. Although Mohammed told the Arabs that Muslims should not eat pork. So Mediterranean and West Asian consumption of pork was less common after 700 AD.
Although in Europe it was still very common to eat pork. Christopher Colombus did have eight pigs on board when he left Spain for the new world. Although it was really Hernanado de Soto whose 13 pigs became breeding stock for the American pork industry. By the 1600s farmers raised pigs. The shelf life of salt pork and bacon made pig become a family favorite all over North America.
From there people started loving pig. George A. Hormel made canned ham in 1926. Country ham was first mentioned in 1944. Nowadays we have breaded pork chops. It is definitely one of my favorite ways to cook a pig. In fact, today I think I will take a plate of pork chops and fruit salad and join my sister for a picnic.
Here's my delicious recipe if you want a try:
"De Soto Breaded Pork Chops"*
Ingredients: 1/4 cup Bisquick mix, 6 crushed saltine crackers, 1/2 tsp seasoned salt, 1/8 tsp pepper, 1 medium egg, 1/2 tbs water, 4 pork boneless loin chops, and 1 and 1/2 tbs vegetables oil.
1) In a shallow small bowl, mix the Bisquick, crackers, seasoned salt, and pepper. In another small shallow bowl mix the egg and water together.
2) Dip the pork into the egg mixture, then coat with Bisquck.
3) In a large skillet, heat the oil over medium-high heat. Cook the pork in it for 10 to 12 minutes turning once until the meat is not pink in the center.
4) Enjoy with a delicious fruit salad on a hot day.
* Base of recipe from "Betty Crocker" and I then molded it from there.
