I Attempt To Cook a Pig Head -- Part 1
Channel: slobomotion
Date: 2013-12-10

Digital video recording, comments and annotations copyright 2013 Lisa B. Falour, B.S., M.B.A.
cutecatfaith.com
Dailymotion:  LisaFalour
YouTube:  SLOBOMOTION, CUTECATFAITH

I have a clip up already about buying this fine pig head in my local greenmarket on Sunday.  I live in Saint-Denis, France, just North of Paris.  I paid eight euros eighty eurocents for it.  I had a YT lady friend from the UK and Paris visit for her second stab at the market, where she found the prices good for some French staple foods.  

These pig heads can be deboned and rolled for cold sliced meats, and also done in terrines with their aspic.  The process takes about three days.  Nothing is really wasted.  Even the skull is scraped and can be roasted to boil in water with savory herbs and vegetables to make a nice stock.  I've been able to stick to a budget of about 40 USD or equivalent since the '80s for a household of two, but it's caused me to have to rethink and change my diet often.  Yes, I do have meatless days.

It's kind of a tough call on some foods in France -- often I can get quality foods prepared for cheaper than I could make them, and far better.  Competition is stiff and in central Paris, they elected to limit supermarkets to encourage artisans to remain.  One French village in the huge central Auvergne region decided long ago to keep big stores out and they designed a central shopping area of artisans for all supplies.  It works well and has been a huge success.  Organic foods are usually your cheapest option in France, too, and free range meat and eggs and non-farmed fish are always favored.  The village in Auvergne did allow some big stores but asked them to limit and stay outside the village.  There seems to be a pleasant symbiosis and it works.  In my city, a hypermarket agreed by popular demand to always include fresh locally grown produce -- and it is cheaper and keeps people working.  Paris is a star capital city and also produces a huge amount of its own food and products.  I'm in a totally urban area but there are so many old farms around me, still working, still employing humans, who are declared workers.  There's nothing wrong with picking and wrapping bunches of radishes -- these workers are much respected here.  Mushrooms, poultry ... there's also a small canning operation near me.  Once you've had a real egg, a real bird, real cheese from a Saler cow who must always live outdoors and will only give milk by a human once assured its calf has fed and only if it likes you, is wonderful.  I don't think I ever really tasted food before until I went to the Continent.  I started in Italy and just about had my head blasted.  I had no idea how to cook pasta correctly, how good a bit of bread could be!

I have a bunch of prep clips ready to post about this pig head and will try to do them in order.  I was able to use some garbure I'd made in the "pig glue," the cooking broth.  It also took a heck of a lot of water.  We just had our first frost last night, so I can probably empty the fridge and freezer tonight and put things out for awhile while I defrost and clean -- seems to have to be done three times a year.  

You may actually have to use a razor to shave a pig head.  If you have a creme brulée mini-torch, this will also help sear off any eyelashes or bristles remaining.  A pig head is a three day process but most families could slaughter a pig and get food for the whole winter out of just one animal.  Little is wasted.  The blood, even, makes wonderful things such as a fine black sausage.