Anthropology Assignment: Food Taboos and the Prohibition of Pork

This essay delves into the complex world of food taboos, with a specific focus on the prohibition of pork in various cultures, including Jewish and Islamic traditions. It explores the reasons behind these taboos, ranging from religious dietary laws like Kashrut, which forbids the consumption of animals that do not chew the cud and have cloven hooves, to health concerns and the perceived uncleanliness of pigs. The essay discusses the perspectives of scholars like Marvin Harris and Maimonides, examining the historical, cultural, and environmental factors that contribute to these practices. It also considers the scientific understanding of foodborne illnesses and how it has influenced the persistence of these taboos. The essay further analyzes the different attitudes towards pig domestication and consumption across various regions, highlighting the interplay between cultural practices, religious beliefs, and environmental factors in shaping food-related behaviors.

Anthropology
1

FOOD TABOO ON PORK
Even after entering into the modern lives, there are certain rules and taboos which are
controlling the fact that what should be eaten and what not and on which occasion. There are
certain occasions such as Christmas, Easter, New year eve etc. which is being continue from the
ancient talismans which believed to bring happiness for the bearer (3 Food Taboos and the
Reasons Behind Them, 2019). Still there remain certain taboos over food that should and
shouldn’t be part of these festive evenings.
The most common food related taboos and rules are given in Kashrut which is a Jewish
religious dietary law which has forbidden the consumption of Pork. This is so because within the
law of Kashrut the consumption of animals who do not chew the cud and have cloven hooves are
restricted to eat. The pig is seen as animal who consumes carrion, garbage and also bath in mud,
hence consider to be one of the most unclean animals, hence taboo to consume on these special
occasions. Vered, (2010), state that other then the religious believe, it also has health advisory
that pig transmit range of parasitic worm to human being if the pork is not cooked sufficiently.
Hence, it can be said the not eating of pork is a rule which consider to be more practical and at
the same time vital for the people for healthy benefits.
The Marvin Harris (Pg. 68) stated that other than Jewish culture the Islamic religion also
prohibit the consumption of pig and also hate pig eaters. They presented principle reason behind
the forbids of swine flesh is due to its habit and food which is quite filthy and loathsome. They
believe that if the law allow Egyptian and Jews to et pig then all the street and houses become
filthy as Europe as the mouth of swine is as dirty as the dung remains. With these statements the
Maimonides the philosopher of Jewish culture presented a side of story. But they do not consider
that the pig’s penchant for excrement is not actually the defect of nature rather it is a husbandry
of human masters. Pigs prefer roots, nuts and grain and for that they eat excrement. While on
other side, pig wallow for keeping themselves cool by finding a mudhole. But as per the
traditional food taboos people consider pig as a dirtiest animal and do not prefer to consumer
pork of a dung eating animal which make them ban the pork in their religion.
He further presented the fact that Maimonides’s Moslem emperor could be able to eat
every kind of meat except pork which make it more impolitic and present it within the biblical
sense of cleanliness by presenting freedom from the taint of feces. Hence, in this regard the
Maimonides presented a proper court by creating a physician theory of entire set of biblical
2

aversion where the prohibited its are suggested not to eat not only they involve Pork which is
filthy from eating excrement rather it is actually not good for a human in term of their health.
Additionally, there are certain ways which are being presented while forbidding the pork such as
it was said that the food contain more moisture then it must be there in food and contain too
much of superfluous matter (Abernethy, 2018). But this theory presented by the Maimonides for
public health in term of avoiding the pork has waited for around seven hundred year until it get a
scientific justification. In year 1859 the first clinical association among the trichinosis and
undercooked pork has established and from that time it become one of the most popular
explanation to the Jewish and Islamic religion regarding the pork taboo. Sapir-Hen, Bar-Oz,
Gadot and Finkelstein, (2013) state that the people do not actually follow the scientific
understanding about food which have ill effect. So if the consequences of eating pork remain
unknown to Israelites, they won’t be taboo its consumption. So with the medium of this Marvin
Harris want to said that eh there is not anything absolutely exceptional regarding pork about
having illness effect, rather all the domestic animals remains potentially hazardous to human
health. For example, uncooked beef has a potential to create a tapeworm that may grow sixteen
to twenty feet cause anemia, lower down body resistance and create other diseases.
On the other side the Marvin Harris, (2002) also stated in his theory who is greater
anthropologist that the usual reason provided by the people regarding taboo of pork is that pig is
consider as dirty animal, impure and unclean. Similar kind of circular explanation is given by
Hinduism on slaughter of cattle. But why then Judaism, Islam accept the same and Christianity
avoid such arguments and accepting the consumption of pork. The pigs are usually domesticated
within middle east and they were raised and consumed by them for five to six thousand years
before its prohibition. The pig is creature of woodland and riverbank who when forages on forest
floor root up every thing and help in growth of plants. The pig usually has different digestive
system due to which they can not grow and gain weight while eating grass as animal like cattle,
camel, sheep do. They also do not have sweat gland, so for managing body temperature they
have to wallow in mud (Khapaeva, 2019). But when it is seen in Europe then they are usually
raising by Christianity by keeping he in forest or other land where they held in rooting the plant.
Therefore, people in that area have a different attitude toward them as compare to Middle east.
The temptation to try pork always remain among people but the God says “Thor shalt not to raise
pig”. This is the sacred rule which fit within the class of taboo of pork. People usually follow it
3

as it is a part of their religion and hence it is the main reason which is creating prohibition over
pork and people presented several different theories to its which make this food taboo.
4

REFERENCES
Abernethy, A.T., 2018. Feasts and Taboo Eating in Isaiah: Anthropology as a Stimulant for the
Exegete's Imagination. The catholic biblical quarterly, 80(3), pp.393-408.
Harris, M., 1998. Good to eat: Riddles of food and culture. Waveland Press.
Khapaeva, D., 2019. Food for Monsters: Popular Culture and Our Basic Food Taboo. In Man-
Eating Monsters. Emerald Publishing Limited.
Sapir-Hen, L., Bar-Oz, G., Gadot, Y. and Finkelstein, I., 2013. Pig Husbandry in Iron Age Israel
and Judah: New Insights Regarding the Origin of the" Taboo". Zeitschrift des Deutschen
Palästina-Vereins (1953-), (H. 1), pp.1-20.
Vered, R., 2010. Prescribing pork in Israel. Gastronomica, 10(3), pp.19-22.
Online
Marvin Harris: Explains The Unexplainable. 2002. [Online] Available through: <
http://aurora.icaap.org/index.php/aurora/article/view/53/66>.
3 Food Taboos and the Reasons Behind Them. 2019. [Online] Available through:<
https://www.bkreader.com/2019/10/16/3-food-taboos-and-the-reasons-behind-them/
#:~:text=Forbidden%20flesh,forbids%20the%20consumption%20of%20pork.>.
5