SC - Fat Pig, Lean Pig

[Daniel Phelps]

I would think that a partial solution to this debate would be to look for
period depictions, possibly they might be found in some of 16th century
Flemish paintings as I seem to recall one with a peasant holding a pig by
its hind legs.  If one were to identify the breed of pig to be an antecedent
of a modern breed then, as a first order approximation, it might be
possible, by using the axiom that the present is the key to the past, to
compare one to the other and achieve an index of period porcine corpulence
given enough data points.

As an alternative hypothesis we may indeed find, as I suggested recently,
that like some livestock certain breeds of swine were raised to maximize
some product over another.  Certain breeds of sheep were after all bred for
wool, rather than meat or milk and it is a historical fact that certain
breeds of swine were bred until recently to maximize lard production.  Thus
as a working hypothesis we should be able to determine if "lard" pigs were
the fat ones and "meat" pigs the lean.  There may also have been a dichotomy
between rural and urban swine rearing.  Rural pigs may have been more
general utility beasts while urban or suburban swine rearing might been more
specialized.  Additionally I  seem to recall, like cattle drives in the US,
that there were pig drives in England.  This would suggest more intensive
swine husbandry in localized areas.

Regarding the feeding of acorns to swine Rosengarten writes regarding
Quercus ilex in southern Europe that it produces a sweet nut like a chestnut
which is called "bellotas" in "Don Quixote" by Cervantes.  These nuts were
fed to swine.  Single well developed oaks are said by him to yield enough
acrons for 100 pounds of pork.  He futher states that Portuguese hogs often
double or triple their weight in three months on acorns "while lolling about
in open pasture beneath the trees."  The forests are thinned periodically to
maximize production of acorns and cork from cork oaks and "very little
expense is need to maintain these woodlands."    This would suggests
possible variations in swine production by country.

Daniel Raoul, who, from his childhood, recalls the distinctive aroma of pig
rearing with little fondness and no affection.

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