Pig Perfect: Encounters with Remarkable Swine and Some Great Ways to Cook Them
By Peter Kaminsky
Hyperion 2005
By Laura Parente
“I pursue pork like a detective on the trail of an artful thief,” powerful words written by a serious devotee of pork and lover of ham, describing the passion in which author Peter Kaminsky embarks on “a yearlong pork pilgrimage.”
In pursuit of Pig Perfect, Kaminsky travels abroad, tasting pork from French and Spanish farmers, comparing flavors and textures with American hams.
What begins as a simple quest to eat great pork transforms into an educational experience, interspersed with pork recipes for the reader to indulge in along the way.
Country Ham Braised in Cider and Molasses, Pork Tenderloin with Aracena Whiskey Sauce, and Suckling Pig Braised in Sherry, White Wine, Aromatic Spices, and Herbs, evoke the senses, tempting the reader to head to the kitchen.
The recipes give the reader a chance to breathe, and allow Kaminsky an easy transition from one experience to the next.
There is a lot going on in this book with many characters to keep track of, as one pork connoisseur leads him to another.
Kaminsky traces historical accounts about pigs, theories related to Jewish and Muslim cultural “taboos” surrounding pork, and an investigation of Concentrated Animal Feeding Operations or “factory farms” in America.
He shows off his cultural diversity, throwing in words such as “dehesa,” “tierra,” and “matanza”. Kaminsky’s respect for these cultures is as genuine as the Spaniard’s respect for the pigs that provide them food.
Infatuated with a breed of pig in Europe, known as ibérico, Kaminsky marvels, “When taste is so full, so nuanced, so layered, it can best be compared to a symphony, it’s aftertastes like a final grand chord, a ghost harmony, slowly dying into the hush of the audience.”
His use of vivid language and artfully composed phrases is remarkable. “A great ham is artisanal as opposed to industrial. It bears a personal style, just like vintage wine or farmstead cheese.” Kaminsky developed this mentality over the course of his travels.
Suggesting that healthy exercise and dietary habits of the pigs are the primary agents contributing to a great pork flavor after slaughter, his disdain for the industrialization of American hams via “factory farming” is apparent.
Returning home, Kaminsky is unable to find ham as good as the ibérico ham. He becomes an entrepreneur in the pork business, surprising even himself.
With the help of experienced pig farmers, Kaminsky sets up a farm in North Carolina using Ossabaw Island pigs, the closest pig to the ibérico found in America.
“We have a dream for our pigs. They are going to live outside, eat hickory nuts and acorns, and graze alfalfa and peanut hay, later summer greens. They will, I hope taste better than any other pork in America,” he wrote.
An inspiring storyteller, Kaminsky is unsure if this trend will catch on, but hopes to see the return of “traditional” farming in America.
