Pig-Farming and Meat Delis in Corsica: From Household Production and Consumption to the Symbol of Local Identity

Abstract

In Corsica’s rural communities, pig-farming has played an important part both in the nutrition system and in the economy of local life heavily dependent on livestock grazing. Pig slaughter was traditionally a special event in the life of a Corsican family which usually kept two or three animals for its own needs. The use of food preservation methods such as meat curing meant that the consumption of various parts of the animal’s carcass evenly spread over the period between the slaughters, that is a year-long span. After the 1950s, techniques of livestock grazing and pig-farming began to change. Today, the Corsican pig breed amounts but to a small part of livestock and most of the meat products available are those produced by industrial means. Realizing that the situation does harm to the reputation of traditional Corsican meat delis and misleads the consumer looking for authenticity, Corsican farmers have decided to unite their efforts and strive for the recognition and certification of the local pig breed both at the national and, subsequently, European level.