Join author Cynthia Clampitt in exploring the topic of pigs, which is as far-ranging as pigs themselves.
In this lecture, author Cynthia Clampitt presents the history of pigs and pork to examine the impact these animals had worldwide. She will focus on the Midwest, including why poet Carl Sandburg would call Chicago “Hog Butcher for the World.”
Pigs were the first food animals to be domesticated, so their history with humans dates back more than 12,000 years. However, antiquity is just one of the reasons why pork is the most eaten meat in the world. Once pigs were introduced to the Americas, they became an almost instant success, raised by settlers but also valued by Native Americans. As the Midwest opened, pigs moved west and numbers grew rapidly. From Cincinnati, known in the early 1800s as Porkopolis, the center of pork culture moved to Chicago.
Check out Cythia's book Pigs, Pork, and Heartland Hogs: From Wild Boar to Baconfest.
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