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How Did the Pork Taboo Originate?
Exploring why one-third of humanity doesn’t consume pork
Pork is divisive. With 36% of humanity eating pigs, it's the most widely consumed meat on the planet. Yet, almost a third of the world’s population doesn’t eat pork.
The reason behind not eating pork is often a religious taboo. Pork is forbidden in Islam and Judaism. Many Christian sects, such as the Seventh-Day Adventists, abstain from eating pig meat. Pork is not popular among Hindus, although there is no official religious restriction.
Have you ever wondered why Judaism and Islam prohibit pork? Many foods are forbidden in the two religions, yet several of their followers don’t practice them. But why do Muslims and Jews follow religious guidelines on pork?
Scholars researching the pork taboo provide several theories about its origins. We’ll analyze some of the more popular to determine the best possible explanations.
But, before we get into the reasons behind the ban, let’s go over what archaeologists Brian Hesse and Paula Wapnish refer to as “pig principles.”
The “pig principles” are a set of observations about pigs that will serve as a groundwork for understanding the origins of the pork taboo. The scholars have proposed several principles. We‘ll talk about the…
