The Butchers Cut
A Short History of Pork in America
- The pig dates back 40 million years with fossils showing Pig-like animals historically roaming Europe and Asia.
- By 4900 BC pigs were domesticated in China, while Europe followed suit around 1500 BC
- Queen Isabella insisted that Christopher Columbus took 8 pigs on his voyage to Cuba in 1493.
- Hernando de Soto is known more as the “Father of the American Pork Industry”
- Landed in Tampa Bay, Florida in 1539 with 13 Pigs.
- When Soto died 3 years later he had grown a herd of 700 pigs, not including those his troops had eaten and those that escaped to become wild pigs (Ancestors of Feral Pigs and Razorbacks)
- Hernando Cortez introduced Hogs to New Mexico in 1600, Sir Walter Raleigh brought Sows to Jamestown Colony in 1607
- By 1660 Pennsylvania Colony’s had bred thousands of pigs and were distributing salt pork and bacon to nearby colonies. Finishing pigs on corn became a very common practice around this time.
- Cincinnati (aka Porkopolis) eventually became known as the first city to commercially slaughter pigs
Farro
- Farro is the Italian word for ancient grains brought from the Fertile Crescent to what we now know as Italy.
- Farro has been found in the tombs of Egyptian Kings and is said to have fueled soldiers of the Roman Empire as they conquered Europe.
- Farro has many names across cultures and religions.
- German – Einkorn/Dinkle
- French- Le petit epeautre
- Hebrew- Emmer (aka mother)
- In Italy there are 3 classifications of Farro
Farro Piccolo (Little Farro)
Farro Medio (Medium Farro)
Farro Grande (Big Farro)
- A little over a Decade Ago, Anson Mills (Columbia, South Carolina) started growing all 3 types of Italian Farro
- Anson Mills loved growing this grain for its range of culinary utility.
Blood Orange
Originated in China and Southern Mediterranean (Specifically Sicily) and have grown since the 18th century
- Now the primary orange grown in Italy
- Sometimes known as Sicilian Blood Oranges
- Varieties include Tarocco, Morro, and Sanguinello Blood Oranges
Meyer Lemon
Native of China, introduced to the United States in 1908 by agricultural explorer Frank Nicholas Meyer
- Meyer Lemons are a cross between a lemon and a mandarin orange
Castelvetrano Olives
- Produced and Grown around the town of Castelvetrano, in Siciliy’s Belice River Valley Olive Groves.
- Hand harvested and packaged in a simple brine
- Flavor is mild, sweet and subtly salty with a crispy meaty texture. Not overly bitter like most green olives.
- Some of the naturally greenest Olives. There are many imposters, but true Castelvetrano Olives are considered some of the best in the world.
Pistachios
- Humans have been enjoying pistachio’s as early as 7000 BC
- Pistachio Tree’s flourish in warm climates. They are Native to the Middle East, but spread quickly to the Mediterranean.
Carrots
- Earliest vegetable known as a carrot dates back to 5000 years Century Persia/Asia Territory
- Wild Carrots were quite different from the orange carrot we’re used too
- Originally Carrots were thin white, ivory, and purple roots
- Cultivation in Europe began in the 13th century
- Carrots were even prescribed by doctors to hear wounds and ailments
- William of Orange: Many believe that the carrot's shift in pigmentation was due to the cross breeding of yellow and red carrots as a tribute to Dutch Independence and William of Orange, who was their leader at the time.
- Fact or Fiction, the Dutch Orange Carrot lead to the production of the large Orange Horns we see today.
Italian Salsa Verde
- Green Sauce: Cold Rustic Sauce
- Often made with parsley, vinegar, capers, garlic, onions, anchovies, and olive oil
Finally, if you want to seriously nerd-out:
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