Letter from the Levant - On the Origin of the Pork Taboo - Archaeology Magazine - March/April 2025

Pork is the protein of the poor. You don't need land to raise them and you can feed them scraps and garbage.

Consider a goat or a sheep. Not only do you need the animals, you need access to grazing lands for that. You need wealth.

The best explanation for the taboo: elite snobbery.

Fun fact: there have been several instances throughout history where someone had the opportunity to interview known cannibals. The most obvious question that comes to mind is "what do we taste like," and the answer has always been pork.

Maybe this had something to do with the taboo. It certainly turned me off the idea of eating pork.