Editing Cannibals and Kings (section)

=== Pork as a taboo food ===
''Cannibals and Kings'' discusses the development of [[pork]] as a [[taboo food and drink|taboo food]] in ancient [[Israelite]] society. Harris argues that while cattle, sheep, and many other domesticated animals consume grass, pigs are poor [[Grazing (behavior)|grazers]] and compete with humans for grain. In addition, pigs produce only meat, compared with cattle and goats, which also provide milk, transport, and labor.

This led to pigs being reviled, and he argues this gave rise to the pig as a non-[[kosher]] food in the [[Old Testament]].  He briefly discusses the other Jewish food taboos. Harris notes that pigs were also taboo in [[Ancient Egypt]] and continue to be forbidden by Islam, suggesting that environmental rather than cultural factors were responsible for putting this food animal off-limits.