porc

As they say in France, tout est bon dans le cochon (‘All is good in the pig’), and it’s true. Very little of the pig is ever wasted.

araignée de porc or the cigaline: tender bits from the jambon. Not often seen in the supermarket.

carré de côtes: spare ribs

côtes: pork chops, divided into filets, premières and secondes

échine: upper part of the neck, including the blade bone and spare ribs. Often tied up to make a rôti de porc or cut into thin steaks, côte échine, marbled with fat, which many prefer to the classic pork chops. Also used to make collet.

épaule: shoulder, butt, hand, arm, cottage or picnic ham, depending on where you come from. Often used in sausages, and in porc effiloché (pulled pork) slow cooked, then dry roasted