re: pigs being unclean
that's one of the reasons. Another is that if pork is not properly cooked it can do a lot of damage - trichinellosis/trichinosis. Yet another is that pigs are not ideal for a nomadic lifestyle, therefore shun the 'outsider' animal. A bit of biblical snobbery.

And in agreement: I did my ugrad dissertation on animal domestication in France. I remember one book stating factually that 'a pig is omniverous and therefore an ideal way to dispose of a dead body'. (It stated this in French, obviously.)
( crackhouseceilidhband Fuck off back to Mumsnet, Fri 28 Mar 2008, 18:33, Reply)