Dolly Jørgensen, The Medieval Pig. Nature and Environment in the Middle Ages. Woodbridge, Suffolk: The Boydell Press, 2024, 25 b/w ill., xi, 116 p.

Both from the point of view of environmental history and of everyday life conditions in the Middle Ages, it makes perfect sense to dedicate a slim volume to the pig in the Middle Ages. After all, it was one of the ubiquitous animals both in the countryside and the city. Pork was one of the favorite foodstuffs; wild boars were hunted, but they were also regarded as dangerous (rightly so). Pigs were omnivores and fecund, so they were regarded as husbandry that could be easily bred to meet basic need for food. However, they were also unclean, easily caused damage, and for Jews and Muslims, they were dirty animals the meat of which they could not eat.