79:
suggested this might have come from pork-eating peoples living near others who did observe the taboo, or be related to ceremonial use of pigs. Later pork production was for export, not for local use, just as eels were caught to send to the
English market, while they were unacceptable as food in Scotland. The taboo died out in the Lowlands earlier than in the Highlands, and by the 1800s, most crofts in the Highlands and Islands would have kept a
1400:
1014:
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rural sites contained more pig bones than urban sites, and that the lowest relative frequencies come from the most southerly of the burghs considered, Peebles and Perth. This contradicts the notion that it was the âHighlandersâ who abhorred pork, unless it is assumed that, despite this dislike, they continued to produce it for sale to others."
156:
It is not very easy to fix the principles upon which mankind have agreed to eat some animals, and reject others; and as the principle is not evident, it is not uniform. The vulgar inhabitants of Sky, I know not whether of the other islands, have not only eels, but pork and bacon in abhorrence, and
229:
letters pages (8 October 1921) as part of a long-running debate arising from D. A. Mackenzie's lecture in 1920. While agreeing there had been a "sporadic prejudice" against pork in parts of
Scotland, and offering illustrations of this, he was against the idea of a link to a "religious cult". He saw
78:
He dismissed any possibility that the pork taboo originated from a literal reading of the Bible, and disputed this with various arguments, noting that early
Christian missionaries did not snub pork. He conceded that archaeological evidence was found of pigs being eaten in prehistoric Scotland, but
250:
In the years of the 18th century and probably earlier, swine were rarely raised in
Scotland, particularly in the Scottish Highlands, and subsequent writers have gone so far as to postulate the operation of a taboo on the eating of pork. Unfortunately there is almost nothing known today about local
298:
An archaeological survey of pork consumption in
Scotland by the Society of Antiquities in Scotland in 2000 states: "Whether there is any archaeological evidence of this prejudice against pigs, for whatever reason, is open to question." and that "During the medieval period, it has been noted that
245:
for studying dietary customs, thus avoiding explanations based on "relatively esoteric" beliefs. Because of deforestation, a loss of beech mast and acorns for feeding pigs occurred, and potatoes were not produced in sufficient quantity to offer a useful alternative until the late 18th century.
43:
Several writers who confirmed that a prejudice against pork existed, or a superstitious attitude to pigs, do not see it in terms of a taboo related to an ancient cult. Any prejudice is generally agreed to have been fading by 1800. Some writers attribute a scarcity or dislike of pork in certain
55:
gave a lecture on the
Scottish pork taboo in 1920 when he explained his idea that prejudices against pork-eating could be traced back to a centuries-old religious cult. When he published these theories in the 1930s, he suggested the taboo was imported to Scotland in pre-Roman times by
279:
in the 1790s speak of a prejudice which is starting to fade: for instance, "The deep rooted prejudice against swine's flesh is now removed: most of the farmers rear some of that species, which not 30 years ago, they held in the utmost detestation." (Ardchattan, County of
230:
economic factors at work between 1500 and 1800 which would discourage pig-keeping. He cited several examples of pork consumption in the Middle Ages, and described a "temporary lapse" when "the great forests disappeared from
Scotland".
251:
sentiments of that era, and we have only the intellectual rationalizations of educated writers who all too easily found an explanation for the scarcity of pigs in the assumption that a 'foolish prejudice' was at work.
202:
Among the many superstitious notions and customs prevalent among the lower orders of the fishing towns on the east coast of Fife, till very recently, that class entertained a great horror of swine . . . .
268:
talks of "our cuntrie peple" having "lytle plesure" in pork in the 1570s. In contrast to the alleged tastes of country folk, pigs were supplied to the royal household for the table of
102:
In addition to proposing ideas developed from studying the mythology and folklore of
Scotland and other cultures, Mackenzie quoted writers of the 18th and 19th centuries.
877:
1220:
179:
He believed that this, and other comments associating Scots with Jews, confirm the existence of the taboo, but have nothing to do with its origin. However,
1234:
246:
Throughout this gap in pork consumption by the general population, many of the
Scottish upper classes continued to eat the meat. He summed up:
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Pork or swineâs flesh, in any shape, was, till of late years, much abominated by the Scotch, nor is it yet a favourite food amongst them.
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Translated from Latin into Scots by James
Dalrymple in 1596, published in Edinburgh in 1895, quoted by WM Mackenzie
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put forward arguments based on a detailed study of Scottish agricultural history, and asserted the value of
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75:. (The cult of Attis did not abstain permanently from pork; it was a purification for their ceremonies.)
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1114:
770:
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carried this prejudice to England, and is known to have abhorred pork almost as much as he did tobacco.
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referred to Scottish Highlanders' dislike of pork in more than one book, and around 1814 explained that
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211:(1754) discusses an âaversionâ to pork in the Highlands, but says it is not âsuperstitiousâ.
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Mackenzie suggested that a verse in the English satirical song "The Brewer" from
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http://ads.ahds.ac.uk/catalogue/adsdata/PSAS_2002/pdf/vol_130/130_705_724.pdf
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Scottish folk-lore and folk life: studies in race, culture and tradition
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accordingly I never saw a hog in the Hebrides, except one at Dunvegan.
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190:" (cold iron) when pigs are mentioned. This was discussed by
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At least four ministers writing about their parishes for the
40:, who believed the aversion stemmed from an ancient taboo.
181:
Celtic Christians had long faced accusations of 'judaizing'
612:
Wonder Tales from Scottish Myth and Legend - Introduction
636:
351:
Lecture at the Celtic Congress in Edinburgh 26 May 1920
186:
He described a superstition about touching or saying "
196:
Notes on the folk-lore of the north-east of Scotland
1363:
1065:
1021:
740:
444:
Reminiscences of Scottish Life and Character (1874)
141:Love a horse and a hound, but no part of a swine.
295:speaks of "a universal superstitious prejudice".
209:Letters from a Gentleman in the North of Scotland
173:'Twas the sight of this hogshead made 'em retreat
562:, volume 76, no. 4 (Winter 1965), pp 288â300;
1221:Butareba: The Story of a Man Turned into a Pig
124:"recorded" the king's aversion to pork in his
652:
614:: "...pigs were, it seems, sacred animals..."
8:
207:Mackenzie disagreed with Edward Burt, whose
194:, and is also included in Walter McGregor's
586:, volume 33, no. 2 (Feb 1983), pp 99â106;
148:found an "abhorrence" of pork and bacon on
659:
645:
637:
526:A History of the Scottish People 1560-1830
422:A Journey to the Western Isles of Scotland
94:, have accepted this theory of a taboo.
1235:Jakers! The Adventures of Piggley Winks
621:: "The Devil Pig in Egypt and Scotland"
344:
628:: "Our Ancestor's Historical practice"
36:. The phrase was coined by journalist
44:periods to a shortage of pig fodder.
7:
171:The flesh of swine and Brewer's beat
619:Egyptian Myth and Legend, chapter 5
169:The Jewish Scots that scorn to eat
14:
233:In 1983, American anthropologist
1399:
1398:
1012:
599:Statistical Accounts of Scotland
410:Waverley, footnote to Chapter 20
277:Statistical Accounts of Scotland
1304:The Tale of Little Pig Robinson
579:The Riddle of the Scottish Pig
495:(SHS, Edinburgh, 1949), p. 43.
468:The Riddle of the Scottish Pig
366:Hymn to the Mother of the Gods
272:, from former monastic lands.
223:published his thoughts in the
1:
626:Celtic Orthodox Dietary Laws
508:in Lanarkshire, Kiltearn in
291:Twentieth-century historian
135:, is based on these words:
632:A Collection of Loyal Songs
163:A Collection of Loyal Songs
24:against the consumption of
1457:
53:Donald Alexander Mackenzie
38:Donald Alexander Mackenzie
20:is a purported historical
1394:
1311:The Tale of Pigling Bland
1010:
674:
624:Dr Stephen MK Brunswick,
243:evolutionary anthropology
198:(Folklore Society 1881).
139:You should, by this line,
129:The Gipsies Metamorphosed
221:William Mackay Mackenzie
131:, when the king has his
1371:List of individual pigs
1228:Fair, then Partly Piggy
175:Which nobody can deny!
165:referred to the taboo:
1376:List of fictional pigs
1080:Flitch of bacon custom
878:Religious restrictions
288:, volume 6, page 177)
253:
205:
177:
159:
143:
118:
1158:Babe: Pig in the City
1115:The Three Little Pigs
617:Donald A. Mackenzie,
610:Donald A. Mackenzie,
569:Donald A. Mackenzie,
248:
200:
167:
154:
137:
110:
47:
1178:Empress of Blandings
329:Taboo food and drink
270:Mary, Queen of Scots
239:cultural materialism
120:Scott's remark that
63:, influenced by the
883:Scottish pork taboo
524:Ross cites Smout's
493:Thirds of Benefices
266:History of Scotland
18:Scottish pork taboo
1386:Pigasus (politics)
1248:Olivia (character)
1186:My Brother the Pig
512:and Longforgan in
491:Gordon Donaldson,
454:pp117 -118 in the
434:Cited by PWF Brown
286:Account of 1791â99
1436:Scottish folklore
1413:
1412:
1325:Toot & Puddle
1318:This Little Piggy
1085:Floyd of Rosedale
771:Intensive farming
594:Scotsman archives
555:The Luxuriant Pig
510:Ross and Cromarty
391:Fortunes of Nigel
293:Christopher Smout
48:Mackenzie's ideas
1448:
1431:Scottish cuisine
1402:
1401:
1172:Blandings Castle
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552:P. W. F. Brown,
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1266:Pinky and Perky
1260:Pink Floyd pigs
1193:Charlotte's Web
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1057:Boarâpig hybrid
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801:Cross-fostering
796:Gestation crate
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605:Further reading
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324:Pork in Ireland
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32:, particularly
30:Scottish people
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1405:Category: Pigs
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1075:Freddy the Pig
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731:Sus domesticus
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573:(Blackie 1935)
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152:in the 1770s.
146:Samuel Johnson
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1200:The Sheep-Pig
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1096:Pigs in Space
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576:Eric B. Ross
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466:Eric B. Ross
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853:Chitterlings
729:
721:
698:Artiodactyla
631:
583:
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456:1822 edition
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235:Eric B. Ross
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106:Walter Scott
104:
101:
92:Isabel Grant
85:
77:
51:
42:
28:amongst the
17:
15:
1287:Porco Rosso
1273:Preston Pig
1165:Bad Piggies
1122:Animal Farm
902:Boston butt
381:Ross, p. 99
262:John Lesley
256:Other ideas
192:Dean Ramsay
88:folklorists
61:mercenaries
34:Highlanders
1420:Categories
1339:Wibbly Pig
1332:Huxley Pig
1298:Spider pig
1293:Spider-Ham
1090:Miss Piggy
1067:In culture
979:Other uses
962:Pork steak
952:Spare ribs
942:Tenderloin
922:Pork belly
897:Back bacon
714:Subfamily
584:BioScience
547:References
514:Perthshire
506:Lesmahagow
334:Horse meat
241:rooted in
219:Historian
188:cauld airn
122:Ben Jonson
114:King Jamie
98:Quotations
90:, such as
1345:Zhu Bajie
1253:TV series
1214:Super Pig
1207:Peppa Pig
1128:Old Major
1104:Porky Pig
1052:Razorback
1035:Wild boar
1004:Truffling
999:Wrestling
957:Pork rind
932:Pork jowl
927:Pork chop
863:Slaughter
833:Capocollo
806:Swineherd
791:Hog oiler
702:Suborder
133:hand read
1381:Piganino
1355:Pig City
1242:Kazoops!
1143:Squealer
1138:Snowball
1133:Napoleon
1040:Heraldry
912:Ham hock
868:Suckling
828:Bondiola
811:Feedback
751:Breeding
742:Domestic
728:Species
692:Mammalia
686:Chordata
680:Animalia
678:Kingdom
560:Folklore
399:Waverley
360:Emperor
303:See also
226:Scotsman
73:Anatolia
1045:Hunting
984:Bladder
907:Fatback
858:Scalder
818:As food
781:Pannage
765:Farming
708:Family
684:Phylum
528:, p 132
395:Rob Roy
319:Kashrut
260:Bishop
215:Dispute
1403:
1280:Rasher
1109:Piglet
989:Racing
786:Toilet
720:Genus
716:Suinae
710:Suidae
696:Order
690:Class
471:op cit
424:(1775)
368:177B,
362:Julian
282:Argyle
126:masque
86:Other
58:Celtic
1441:Taboo
1364:Other
1027:feral
873:Blood
823:Bacon
757:Shows
704:Suina
588:JSTOR
564:JSTOR
537:p.13
504:Also
340:Notes
314:Halal
309:Grice
81:grice
69:Attis
22:taboo
1426:Pork
1151:Babe
1025:and
1023:Wild
972:Tail
947:Ribs
937:Loin
891:Cuts
848:Pork
843:Lard
668:Pigs
590:link
566:link
558:in
150:Skye
65:cult
26:pork
16:The
994:War
967:Ear
838:Ham
776:Sty
723:Sus
582:in
370:LCL
264:'s
71:in
67:of
1422::
397:,
393:,
364:;
284:)
183:.
83:.
1320:"
1316:"
1117:"
1113:"
1098:"
1094:"
660:e
653:t
646:v
473:.
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