Presented by: Jerome Dotson, Instructor, Africana Studies

Bacon has become an obsession in today’s society, but few realize the historical and cultural connotations of pork. Slaves in the Cotton South ate pork as a major part of their diet during the antebellum period; more than a ration, slave owners argued hog meat gave slaves a healthier appearance.  Yet, the consumption of fatty pork held different significance for masters and slaves. Discover the symbolic meanings that both slaves and Southern whites attached to swine eating in the antebellum era.