<P> Pork is the culinary name for meat from a domestic pig (Sus scrofa domesticus). It is the most commonly consumed meat worldwide, with evidence of pig husbandry dating back to 5000 BC . Pork is eaten both freshly cooked and preserved . Curing extends the shelf life of the pork products . Ham, smoked pork, gammon, bacon and sausage are examples of preserved pork . Charcuterie is the branch of cooking devoted to prepared meat products, many from pork . </P> <P> Pork is the most popular meat in East and Southeast Asia, and is also very common in the Western world . It is highly prized in Asian cuisines for its fat content and pleasant texture . Consumption of pork is forbidden by Jewish and Muslim dietary law, a taboo that is deeply rooted in tradition, with several suggested possible causes . The sale of pork is illegal or severely restricted in Israel and in certain Muslim countries . </P> <P> The pig is one of the oldest forms of livestock, having been domesticated as early as 5000 BC . It is believed to have been domesticated either in the Near East or in China from the wild boar . The adaptable nature and omnivorous diet of this creature allowed early humans to domesticate it much earlier than many other forms of livestock, such as cattle . Pigs were mostly used for food, but people also used their hides for shields and shoes, their bones for tools and weapons, and their bristles for brushes . Pigs have other roles within the human economy: their feeding behaviour in searching for roots churns up the ground and makes it easier to plough; their sensitive noses lead them to truffles, an underground fungus highly valued by humans; and their omnivorous nature enables them to eat human rubbish, keeping settlements cleaner . </P>

What temperature does pork have to be at