Recipes for Pork

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Recipes for pork are not common in India but they do exist. Pork is forbidden to Muslims (explicitly by the Qur'an itself) and as Hindus don't eat beef, both these meats tend to be avoided so as not to cause offence. However India is a big place and there are pockets of the country where you will find recipes for pork.

When the Portuguese sailed east, in the late 15^th century they took with them a number of things. They landed first in what is now the state of Kerala in 1498 and then in Goa; in both of these places they not only established trade but also converted people to Christianity and brought there own customs and cuisine.

There is still a substantial Christian population in these South Western states and, although they have been significantly modified over time, the pork dishes that the Portuguese took with them are still eaten in these areas.

One such dish is vindaloo - originally meat marinated in wine and garlic, and there are others. Sorpotel is a pork dish with the meat as well as the liver, kidneys and heart of the beast, and this is served on special occasions by the Goan catholic community. Xacuti and Indad are other pork dishes of the area. Pork balchão is a strange dish with pork and prawn balchão sauce.

All these dishes are quite spicy and most have an element of vinegar or wine; the practical reason for this is to eliminate bacteria from the pork, but it does have the interesting side effect of creating unique, sweet and sour type dishes.

Here are the recipes for pork I have so far - I will be adding more all the time

Kerala Pork Fry
Pork meatballs in curry sauce
Pork Vindaloo

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