I would like to start off with a disclaimer: I am not trying to explain religious customs or taboos and mean no offence. I am merely looking at the practical side of not eating pork or beef, and how that might have become incorporated into culture as taboo.
Let's start with pigs. People throughout the Mideast, parts of Africa, and parts of Asia as well do not eat pork. I think that's not because pigs are filthy animals (wild pigs are quite clean, though they, like other animals with sparse hair do like to roll in the mud), but pigs (and fowl too by the way) carry diseases. Pigs carry Trichinosis, which can be quite deadly. The only way you can get it though is by eating pork raw or undercooked.
If we look at cooking methods in the Middle East, we see a history of the spit, and a custom of roasting animals whole, even camels. However, fuel supplies are not plentiful in the Middle East, which may have led to a lot of meat being eaten rare. Swine is mentioned in many ancient documents of the area, so obviously it was eaten by some groups. But it is very likely that other groups became sick off of pork and therefore stopped eating it, eventually resulting in a taboo.
The 'holy' cow in India is a different story altogether, and one might note that Indians have no problems whatsoever in consuming dairy products such as yoghurt and cheese taken from the milk of the cow. Simply, from antiquity, if you were a rice or wheat farmer in India, you could not farm. To eat your cow would be like eating your tractor- you would no longer be able to farm and provide food. For this reason I believe veneration of the cow as a holy animal grew quickly and in India today the idea of killing a cow, eating beef, or even wearing leather from the cow, is unthinkable.
This article was written by Dinah Jackson who enjoys writing about science, travel and Pokemon. To find the rarest Japanese Pokemon items, check out the store that has every kind of Pokemon plushie that you can imagine. Also an incredible selection of Pokemon charms, straps, plush toys, pokedolls, keychains, figures, binders, deck boxes, sleeves, plush toys, and just about anything you can imagine. Delivered right to your front door from Japan.
Taboo products in pakistani markets by arynews
Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/5848131
Let's start with pigs. People throughout the Mideast, parts of Africa, and parts of Asia as well do not eat pork. I think that's not because pigs are filthy animals (wild pigs are quite clean, though they, like other animals with sparse hair do like to roll in the mud), but pigs (and fowl too by the way) carry diseases. Pigs carry Trichinosis, which can be quite deadly. The only way you can get it though is by eating pork raw or undercooked.
If we look at cooking methods in the Middle East, we see a history of the spit, and a custom of roasting animals whole, even camels. However, fuel supplies are not plentiful in the Middle East, which may have led to a lot of meat being eaten rare. Swine is mentioned in many ancient documents of the area, so obviously it was eaten by some groups. But it is very likely that other groups became sick off of pork and therefore stopped eating it, eventually resulting in a taboo.
The 'holy' cow in India is a different story altogether, and one might note that Indians have no problems whatsoever in consuming dairy products such as yoghurt and cheese taken from the milk of the cow. Simply, from antiquity, if you were a rice or wheat farmer in India, you could not farm. To eat your cow would be like eating your tractor- you would no longer be able to farm and provide food. For this reason I believe veneration of the cow as a holy animal grew quickly and in India today the idea of killing a cow, eating beef, or even wearing leather from the cow, is unthinkable.
This article was written by Dinah Jackson who enjoys writing about science, travel and Pokemon. To find the rarest Japanese Pokemon items, check out the store that has every kind of Pokemon plushie that you can imagine. Also an incredible selection of Pokemon charms, straps, plush toys, pokedolls, keychains, figures, binders, deck boxes, sleeves, plush toys, and just about anything you can imagine. Delivered right to your front door from Japan.
Taboo products in pakistani markets by arynews
Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/5848131
