Among the first creatures to help humans attain the goal of having enough to eat was the pig, which provided not simply enough, but general abundance. Domesticated early and easily, herds grew at astonishing rates (only rabbits are more prolific). Then, as people spread around the globe, pigs and traditions went with them, with pigs making themselves at home wherever explorers or settlers carried them. Today, pork is the most commonly consumed meat in the worldand no one else in the world produces more pork than the American Midwest.

Pigs and pork feature prominently in many cuisines and are restricted by others. In the U.S. during the early1900s, pork began to lose its preeminence to beef, but today, we are witnessing a resurgence of interest in pork, with talented chefs creating delicacies out of every part of the pig. Still, while people enjoy pigging out, few know much about hog history, and fewer still know of the creatures impact on the world, and specifically the Midwest. From brats in Wisconsin to tenderloin in Iowa, barbecue in Kansas City to porketta in the Iron Range to goetta in Cincinnati, the Midwest is almost defined by pork. Here, tracking the history of pig as pork, Cynthia Clampitt offers a fun, interesting, and tasty look at pigs as culture, calling, and cuisine.

Cynthia Clampitt is a writer, speaker, and food historian who has pursued her love of history, culture, and food across six continents. She has written about food history for three decades, but hasalso written more traditional history and geography for major educational publishers in the U.S., including the Colonial Williamsburg Foundation and National Geographic Learning. In the last few years, her focus has been on the American Midwest, which led to her authoringMidwest Maize: How Corn Shaped the U.S. Heartland and nowPigs. She is a member of the Culinary Historians of Chicago, the Society of Women Geographers, the Agricultural History Society, the Midwest History Association, the Association of Food Journalists, and the International Association of Culinary Professionals.

Chapter 1 Meet the Pig
Section I: From There to Here
Chapter 2 Early Pig: Domestication and Early Civilization
Chapter 3 Old World Pig: Pork and the Rise of Familiar Cultures
Chapter 4 Colonial Pig: Pigs in the Age of Exploration
Chapter 5 American Pig: Shaping American Culture, Agriculture, and Foodways
Chapter 6 Corn Belt/Hog Belt: How Hogs and Hominy Helped Define a Region
Section II: Pigs on our Plates
Chapter 7 Versatile Pig: The Parts and How We Use Them
Chapter 8 American Icons: Barbecue, Hot Dogs, and SPAM®
Chapter 9 Local Pig: Influences and Specialties in the Heartland
Chapter 10 Transformed Pig: Recipes for Specialties
Section III: Living with Pigs Today
Chapter 11 Popular Pig: The Rise of Pig Obsession
Chapter 12 Farm to Table Pig: People Who Raise Pigs and Create Pork
Chapter 13 Cherished Pig: Traditions That Have Changed and Some Worth Keeping
Chapter 14 Problems and Promises: Issues, Concerns, Discussions, and Hopes