Surely this happens to all us pig folk in the end.
The commitment to your fresh pork continues unabated. The satisfaction of rearing pigs still drives you. The passionate belief in the provenance of food never fails to inspire you.
And yet…..there feels like there’s something more and eventually surely we are all drawn to the mysterious arts of the Jedi of the porcine world – The Charcutieres.
There is no greater feat in pork preparation than the alchemy involved in charcuterie. Dicing with the inherent dangers of air curing, taking on the elements of heat and humidity the gifted charcutiere transforms pork from the mere mortal king of meat to the demigod of the table. Chorizo, salami, ham, beer sticks, black pudding, pastrami, pancetta and bacon are all foodstuff that can not only hold their own on their own terms but lift other food to fantastic new limits.
And so my journey begins. An inspiring visit to France this summer has now put me on an inevitable path.
I need my time on Dagobah. I’ll report back as to whether the gift is in me.
The Happy Pig Club 