Pork

If beef evokes extravagance; chicken, thoughts of home-cooked Sunday lunch; and lamb, patriotic braai memories, then pork is the quintessence of indulgence. Crackling, pork chops, pulled pork butt, sausages, schnitzels, steaks, pigs’ ears and bacon – almighty bacon – nothing quite competes with pork for versatility and gluttonous behaviour. It’s the pig that provides the most useful fat in a butchery, whether it’s attached to a specific cut (like pork belly), cured in a ham or taken off and reworked into a sausage or terrine. Pig fat is a large part of the flavour and appeal of pork. Good pork fat is high in triglycerides and monounsaturated fats, all part of a healthy diet. But pork is a meat that polarises people. It’s very popular, despite being forbidden in Judaism and Islam. And then there’s the fear of trichinosis, a parasitic disease caused by eating undercooked pork (eating undercooked chicken is also not a good idea, by the way). That said, well-sourced pork cooked and served slightly pink is absolutely cool.