Pork
Originally domesticated in 5000 B.C. from the Wild Boar, pigs provide one of the oldest and most frequently consumed sources of meat. Pigs meanwhile have been domesticated on a diet of corn, barley, oats and wheat. That diet allows pigs to reach weights of over two hundred pounds when they reach the market.
Red Meat
Despite marketing campaigns to the contrary, pork is a red meat not a white meat. Pigs use their muscles similar to cows - for extensive periods of time instead of in short, quick bursts. As a result of this type of movement, more blood flows around the muscles making the muscles red.
Fat
Traditionally, pork was high in fat and juicier. During the last half of the twentieth century, the pork has changed dramatically however; since the 1980s, pork has lost half of its fat content.
Name Trivia
The name comes from the Latin word porcus, which means tame swine. Also, since pork use to be higher in fat content, pork was used to describe other things that were fat.
