Pig's trotters
Encyclopedia
Pig's trotters are the feet of pig
s. The cuts are used in various dishes around the world, they have been used by chefs such as Marco Pierre White
and Pierre Koffmann, and have increased in popularity since the late-2000s financial crisis
.
, although they are also served much as a normal cut of meat.
Chef Marco Pierre White
has long served trotters at his restaurants, based on the original recipe of mentor Pierre Koffmann. In the New York
restaurant Hakata Tonton, 33 of the 39 dishes served contain pig's trotters with the head chef reasoning that the feet are rich in collagen
, "Collagen helps your body retain moisture, your hair and skin will look better, but it's not just for looking beautiful now. If you begin eating collagen in your thirties, you will look younger in your forties", although a spokesperson for British Nutrition Foundation
suggested that the health benefits may be a little improbable.
Following the late-2000s financial crisis
, there has been a boom in popularity of pig's trotters in the United Kingdom as a revival in cheap meat recipes occurred. In 2008, British supermarket Waitrose
reintroduced trotters to its stores, and found that they quickly became popular. In 2009, Pierre Koffmann set up a pop-up restaurant
, and found that diners ate an entire month's stock of 500 pig's trotters in less than a week.
Domestic pig
The domestic pig is a domesticated animal that traces its ancestry to the wild boar, and is considered a subspecies of the wild boar or a distinct species in its own right. It is likely the wild boar was domesticated as early as 13,000 BC in the Tigris River basin...
s. The cuts are used in various dishes around the world, they have been used by chefs such as Marco Pierre White
Marco Pierre White
Marco Pierre White is a British celebrity chef, restaurateur and television personality. He is noted for his contributions to contemporary international cuisine, and his exceptional culinary skills....
and Pierre Koffmann, and have increased in popularity since the late-2000s financial crisis
Late-2000s financial crisis
The late-2000s financial crisis is considered by many economists to be the worst financial crisis since the Great Depression of the 1930s...
.
Description
Prior to sale the trotters are cleaned and typically have the hairs removed by the use of a hot tank and beaters. They are often used in cooking to make stocks, as they add thickness to gravyGravy
Gravy is a sauce made often from the juices that run naturally from meat or vegetables during cooking. In North America the term can refer to a wider variety of sauces and gravy is often thicker than in Britain...
, although they are also served much as a normal cut of meat.
Chef Marco Pierre White
Marco Pierre White
Marco Pierre White is a British celebrity chef, restaurateur and television personality. He is noted for his contributions to contemporary international cuisine, and his exceptional culinary skills....
has long served trotters at his restaurants, based on the original recipe of mentor Pierre Koffmann. In the New York
New York
New York is a state in the Northeastern region of the United States. It is the nation's third most populous state. New York is bordered by New Jersey and Pennsylvania to the south, and by Connecticut, Massachusetts and Vermont to the east...
restaurant Hakata Tonton, 33 of the 39 dishes served contain pig's trotters with the head chef reasoning that the feet are rich in collagen
Collagen
Collagen is a group of naturally occurring proteins found in animals, especially in the flesh and connective tissues of mammals. It is the main component of connective tissue, and is the most abundant protein in mammals, making up about 25% to 35% of the whole-body protein content...
, "Collagen helps your body retain moisture, your hair and skin will look better, but it's not just for looking beautiful now. If you begin eating collagen in your thirties, you will look younger in your forties", although a spokesperson for British Nutrition Foundation
British Nutrition Foundation
The British Nutrition Foundation is a British registered charity.-Aims:According to its entry in the Charity Commission's register, the aims of the British Nutrition Foundation are:...
suggested that the health benefits may be a little improbable.
Following the late-2000s financial crisis
Late-2000s financial crisis
The late-2000s financial crisis is considered by many economists to be the worst financial crisis since the Great Depression of the 1930s...
, there has been a boom in popularity of pig's trotters in the United Kingdom as a revival in cheap meat recipes occurred. In 2008, British supermarket Waitrose
Waitrose
Waitrose Limited is an upmarket chain of supermarkets in the United Kingdom and is the food division of the British retailer and worker co-operative the John Lewis Partnership. Its head office is in Bracknell, Berkshire, England...
reintroduced trotters to its stores, and found that they quickly became popular. In 2009, Pierre Koffmann set up a pop-up restaurant
Pop-up restaurant
Pop-up restaurants, also called supper clubs, are temporary restaurants. These restaurants often operate from a private home, former factory or similar and during festivals....
, and found that diners ate an entire month's stock of 500 pig's trotters in less than a week.
Recipes and combinations
- Bean crock/les pais au fou, in JerseyJerseyJersey, officially the Bailiwick of Jersey is a British Crown Dependency off the coast of Normandy, France. As well as the island of Jersey itself, the bailiwick includes two groups of small islands that are no longer permanently inhabited, the Minquiers and Écréhous, and the Pierres de Lecq and...
, Channel IslandsChannel IslandsThe Channel Islands are an archipelago of British Crown Dependencies in the English Channel, off the French coast of Normandy. They include two separate bailiwicks: the Bailiwick of Guernsey and the Bailiwick of Jersey... - Cappello da prete in ModenaModenaModena is a city and comune on the south side of the Po Valley, in the Province of Modena in the Emilia-Romagna region of Italy....
, ItalyItalyItaly , officially the Italian Republic languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Italy's official name is as follows:;;;;;;;;), is a unitary parliamentary republic in South-Central Europe. To the north it borders France, Switzerland, Austria and... - CotechinoCotechinoThe cotechino is an Italian charcuterie product, similar to salami, but that has to be cooked - usually it is boiled at low heat for about four hours...
in Modena, Italy - CrubeensCrubeensCrubeens are an Irish food made of boiled pigs' feet. They are traditionally eaten by hand.-External links:*...
in IrelandIrelandIreland is an island to the northwest of continental Europe. It is the third-largest island in Europe and the twentieth-largest island on Earth... - Pezinhos de coentrada (trotters with corianderCorianderCoriander is an annual herb in the family Apiaceae. Coriander is native to southern Europe and North Africa to southwestern Asia. It is a soft, hairless plant growing to tall. The leaves are variable in shape, broadly lobed at the base of the plant, and slender and feathery higher on the...
), in Alentejo, PortugalPortugalPortugal , officially the Portuguese Republic is a country situated in southwestern Europe on the Iberian Peninsula. Portugal is the westernmost country of Europe, and is bordered by the Atlantic Ocean to the West and South and by Spain to the North and East. The Atlantic archipelagos of the... - Pied de cochon in Sainte-MenehouldSainte-MenehouldSainte-Menehould is a commune in the Marne department in north-eastern France.The town and its several restaurants pride themselves on serving a local specialty called pied de cochon or pig's trotters....
, FranceFranceThe French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France... - Tebichi, in Okinawa, JapanJapanJapan is an island nation in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean, it lies to the east of the Sea of Japan, China, North Korea, South Korea and Russia, stretching from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea and Taiwan in the south...
- Tom tin moo in LaosLaosLaos Lao: ສາທາລະນະລັດ ປະຊາທິປະໄຕ ປະຊາຊົນລາວ Sathalanalat Paxathipatai Paxaxon Lao, officially the Lao People's Democratic Republic, is a landlocked country in Southeast Asia, bordered by Burma and China to the northwest, Vietnam to the east, Cambodia to the south and Thailand to the west...
- Zampone in Modena, Italy