Present pig-rearing (pig-raising) conditions enable selective breeding to produce a high-meat carcass, with a thin coat of fat and fine hams. In the past pigs had long legs and were fattened on potatoes and chestnuts and butchered at about 10 or 12 months. Today's pigs have shorter legs and provide more meat; they are fattened in six or seven months on cereal flours and weigh between 200 and 225 pounds. their meat is in general less tasty and not always of the same quality. The Large White Yorkshire, Western White, Danish Landrace and Belgian Piétrain, which is white with black patches, are four of the most common breeds. Pork is the most widely consumed meat in France, Germany and Scandinavia and is very popular in Britian too. Nearly 50% of french pigs are fattened in Brittany.

Good quality pork is identified be firm pink flesh, which shows no trace of moisture; whitish and damp flesh comes from a factory farmed pigs and is therefore bland; meat that is flaccid, too red, or too fat comes from an older animal of mediocre quality. A rich and fatty meat, pork goes well with fruit (pineapple, apples, prunes) and vegetable purées.

Roman porcella law fixed the manner of raising, feeding, slaughtering and preparing pork and they're probably behind pork butchery as a trade. The word charcuterie comes into play here and refers to products based on pork meat or offal. The word also designates the shop where these types of products is sold and also the group of trades men that sell it.

After slaughter, the offal and head are removed and the pig is cut in half; the leg and shoulder are then cut from each half-carcass for separate treatment. It is mainly the back of the pig that is sold for fresh meat, though in Britian the legs and shoulders are also sold fresh.

Pork in cookery Pork has been enjoyed in France since the time of the Gauls. It was, however, a meat of the common people: Grimod de La Reynière saw the pigs as "an encyclopedic animal, a meal on legs" that did not provide roasts for aristocratic tables; he considered only sucking pig to be of value.

A rich and fatty meat, pork goes well with fruit (pineapple, apples, prunes) and vegetable purées. It can be enlivened with green pepper, mustard, fried onions, pepper sauce, garlic, or a Roquefort sauce. Garnished with beans, lentils, etc., it makes a substantial winter meal. Aromatic herbs (especially sage) are often used to flavour roasts and grills.