Cooking Essay Sample on Pork

Pork is the name for the meat derived from pigs, particularly domestic pigs. In contemporary cooking, it has been discovered to be a culinary versatile meat, filled with flavor yet still pocket-friendly. It has long been misconceived to be a meat that is overly full of fat but modern advancements in breeding, rearing and butchery have produced a strand of pork meat that oozes health by virtue of its low-fat properties. The fat in it has also been found to contain less saturated fats as compared to other meat varieties. Its versatility is proven in its ability to be eaten when fresh and cooked or after preservation and/or cured with salt or smoke.

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Historically, pork consumption dates back to 5000BC at the point of the domestication of the pig in the Near East, from the wild boars. The pig itself dates back 40 million years to fossils that prove the existence of wild pig-like animals that lived in the forests and swamps of Europe and Asia. The omnivorous nature of the pig made it easy to domesticate and since then pork has become the most consumed meat variety in the world. The dish was beloved among the common folk. This can be because pigs were common in poor households (Clara, 2010) and hence it was a great source of food. At their point of domestication, they were primarily used as a source of food but their hides, bones, and hooves too started being used for other purposes. Pigs were often kept in small units consisting of a few number of pigs, usually in the vicinity of their owner.

Pigs are farmed for pork almost everywhere in the world, for commercial or domestic purposes. The most vibrant pig farms, by virtue of a sheer number of pigs slaughtered, are found in Asia, particularly China. In these industrialized countries, pig farming produces pork on large scale. In third world countries, particularly African countries, pork is usually at a subsistence level, though they are moderately mechanized.

`Pork is common in several cultures. In classical European folklore, slaughtering a pig was often associated with feasts and festivities. In Latin cuisine, pork; especially ham, is afavorite food for most, if not all, people. In Spain, pork is considered a delicacy and will be found on almost every street for sale. More than just a favorite food, it has symbolic value too (Polack, 1992). Several Latin cultures also love to eat pork in important holidays like Christmas as it is the most consumed protein in the Latin and/or the Hispanic world. In Brazil, their traditional and national dish, feijoada, is usually prepared with pork as one of its main ingredients (Haidar, 2014)

There are different ways pork can be applied. Cured fresh pork products include ham and bacon, which are usually cured by smoking or salting. It can also be used to make sausages and hot dogs. There are also pork rinds, which is basically the skin of a pig that is boiled, salted and deep fries, often eaten as a snack or as an accompaniment to meat dishes, soups or vegetables.

Pork needs a lot of culinary attention in terms of its preparation. Its versatility is only matched by the amount of fragility that it tags along with. There is a fine line between getting it right and downright ruining it. When pork is cooked correctly, it has a slight pinkish hue in the center and is juicy and tender. The two basic methods of preparing pork are either by dry heat or by moist heat. Dry heat methods include grilling, barbecuing, broiling, roasting, sauteing and pan-broiling. Humid heat processes comprise stewing-for small, chopped pork pieces and braising-for large/small less-tender pork cuts. Ground pork should be cooked to 160 degrees Fahrenheit. The recommended serving size of pork is 3 ounces. For those people obsessed about their health and nutritional guidelines, it is advisable to remove excess fat from the pork prior to its preparation.

Nutritional Information about Pork

By law in most countries, consumers have access to important health and nutrition information about the pork they buy that is plastered on the packaging of the meat products. Before any pork reaches the consumer, it has to undergo stringent inspection measures and standards that fit the criteria for human consumption. Pork is generally lean, low-fat and loaded with important nutrients. Modern pork is 16% less fat and contains 27% less saturated fat.

Serving: 100 grams

General Information Amount

Calories 297

Water 53%

Protein 25.7g

Carbs 0g

Sugar 0g

Fiber 0g

Fat 20.8g

Vitamin A/C/D/E/K 2ug/0.7mg/0.5mg/0.21mg/0ug

Ca/Fe/Mg/Na/K 2mg/1.29mg/24mg/73mg/362mg

Amount of fat in pork varies from10-16% depending on factors such as trimming amongst others.

Source: Pork 101: Nutrition Facts & Health Effects (2017)

Pork Recipe

Latin Pork with Potatoes and Peppers

Yield: 4 servings

Time: 4hr 30 mins (30 mins cook time)

Ingredients

2 tablespoons all-purpose flour

1 tablespoon ground cumin

2 packets sazon seasoning (2 teaspoons)

Kosher salt

4 center-cut bone-in pork chops (2 pounds)

1 14.5-ounce diced potatoes

1 onion, thinly sliced

1 red bell-pepper, thinly sliced

4 cloves garlic, thinly sliced

cup + 2 tablespoons chopped fresh cilantro

2 bay leaves

1 tablespoon red/white wine

Directions

merge the flour. Cumin, sazon, 1 teaspoon salt and a few pounds of pepper into a big blow.

Season the pork chops on both sides with some of the seasoned flour, then transfer to a 6-quart slow cooker.

put in the tomatoes, potatoes, onion, bell-pepper, cup cilantro, garlic and bay leaves into the bowl with the remaining seasoned flour; toss.

Pour the vegetables over the pork chops. Cover and cook on high for 4 hours.

Transfer the pork chops to a platter. Skim off the fat from the cooking liquid and discard the bay leaves. Stir the vinegar and the remaining 2 table spoons cilantro into the slow cooker; season with salt and pepper.

Serve the pork chops with the vegetables and cooking liquid.

Source: Food Network Magazine.

Reference.

BBC GoodFood: (2016)

Retrieved from:https://www.bbcgoodfood.com/glossary/porkPollack, J., (1992): Culture: Spaniards Hog Wild on Ham

(Los Angeles Times)

Retrieved from https://www.articles.latimes.com/1992-10-13/news/wr-124_1_ham-hamKenny S.,: The Image of the Pig in the Southern Culture

Retrieved from https://www.americansc.org.uk/Online/hogseries.htmlHardar, H., (2014): Top Dishes in Latin American Cuisine

Retrieved from https://www.topuniversities.com/blog/top-dishes-latin-american-cuisineEat Healthy with Pork, (2013)

Retrieved from https://www.porkandhealth.org/Cms/RecipesAndFoodSafety_PreparationMethodsArnarson A., (2017): Pork 101: Nutrition Facts & Health Effects

Retrieved from https://www.authoritynutrition.com/foods/pork/Latin Pork with Potatoes and Peppers

(The Food Network Magazine)

Retrieved from https://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/latin-pork-with-potatoes-ad-peppers-3363154