In ancient times, was there a practical reason for forbidding the consumption of pork? (Romans, Chinese)

[kanhawk]

Jews and Muslims forbid the consumption and handling of pork. Religious edicts sometimes have a practical reason behind them. We know pork is perfectly safe now, but was there a practical health reason in ancient times for avoiding pork?

[Grandstander]

I don't think that this is known with any certainty. It might be that in some age in the past, pigs were carriers and spreaders of disease in the regions which supported Islam or Judaism. Or it might be the case that those people just believed that pigs carried and spread disease. Or it could be some ancient myth about an angry pig god.

It is easy to see how such an idea would develop, pigs are indiscriminate eaters. Watching what went into them would not ramp up your desire for a BLT.

[irman]

Originally Posted by kanhawk

Religious edicts sometimes have a practical reason behind them.

You answered your own question here.

A bit of research into the Qur'an and the Torah, will give you the passages/verses,
*why* they do not partake of certain foods.

For Pork or Swine, it is because that animal was considered *dirty* in the ancient times.
The name given to that animal translates in ancient languages as *stinking animal, maggotty*.
Come to think of it, unless you have a small potbelly pig as a pet,
most of the pigs family like to wallow in pure ugly stinking stuff ...
If you would call any meat that is called something like *stinky meat* today, you would not eat it either.
Another reason is the fact that pigs or swines have cloven hoofs.
Do not ask me what *cloven hoofs* has to do with the *not for human consumption* rule ...
Maybe, because in certain verses, the devil is portrayed as a man with horns and a cloven hoof ?

Also keep in mind to actually read more into the *forbidden things* as just not eating pigs meat.
It is only part of the *whole* restrictions. Pork or pig, is just one thing.
In essence if one reads more of the Qur'an or the Torah,
you can sum it up in one sentence like: Do not partake of anything unhealthy.
Anybody with some intelligence can today find out rather easy,
what is healthy for him/her, and then stay away from it.

So ... , is there a *scientific* reason why not to partake of that kind of meat in the old days ?
Probably not in today's world, but if you are religious,
then you follow by faith and not by scientifically explaining things.

LBNL, I would be very careful with making a statement like:
<<<We know pork is perfectly safe now>>>
No such thing as perfect !

[Dusty Rhodes]

Originally Posted by kanhawk

Jews and Muslims forbid the consumption and handling of pork. Religious edicts sometimes have a practical reason behind them. We know pork is perfectly safe now, but was there a practical health reason in ancient times for avoiding pork?

Well.....now that you mention it, Trichinosis is the first thing that springs to my mind.

[Chango]

It really isn't about practicality; it's about cultural identity. Doing or NOT doing certain otherwise arbitrary things is one common way of saying "I'm Jewish" or whatever group you're talking about. The Mormons do it today by not drinking coffee or tea, even though they have no qualms over having a Pepsi or even an energy drink for that matter. Abstaining says "I'm part of the club" to those around you.

[Kracer]

Bears and hogs eat garbage/ meat and vegetables and trich infections, as mentioned, required meat to be thoroughly cooked. Regs today require any pork product except raw meat like bacon and pork chops to be precooked....hotdogs for instance.

Pigs wouldn't make good herd animals that you could move from pasture to pasture. So if you were an itinerant tribe you probably didn't raise pigs.

Pigs susceptible to 'shipping fever' an ailment that is triggered by of course, shipping.

Who knows where that pig had been. Best not to eat it.

Greek mythology had Circe turn men into pigs. Maybe eating a pig was cannabalism? If you ever saw a pig go to slaughter, as conducted on an old farm stead or rural butcher, and heard the way they scream you might think it was a human that was making that horrible gut wrenching scream.

[Grandstander]

Originally Posted by Dusty Rhodes

Well.....now that you mention it, Trichinosis is the first thing that springs to my mind.

Yet this didn't prevent the Roman world or the Chinese from being pork eaters.

[Dusty Rhodes]

Originally Posted by Grandstander

Yet this didn't prevent the Roman world or the Chinese from being pork eaters.

and we have no verifiable records of how many died of trichinosis. eventually, someone pieced it together.

[lucknow]

Well, all the different people around the Jews ate pork and the Muslim faith is just an imitation of Judaism so there you have it.

These food edicts were to keep the people seperate from the rest of humanity. There is no logical reason for them.

Why did God not allow the crossbreeding of any animals? The Jews always had to buy their Mules from the surrounding people because they were prohibited from crossbreeding by God's law.

[Grandstander]

Originally Posted by Dusty Rhodes

and we have no verifiable records of how many died of trichinosis. eventually, someone pieced it together.

I don't follow. You mean that the Romans and Chinese banned pork after they figured out that it caused trichinosis? That didn't happen.