The Slaughter

Well folks, I am now entering into a new stage in my life. Life after my 1st Bulgarian pig slaughter. Wow what an interesting experience, despite a few quick spells of nausea I made it through the event without complications. It began in the morning; a bullet to the head put an end to the life of poor Wilber. Its was time for this chubby 300lb beast to meet its maker. The Bulgarian pig slaughter is a seasonal, day long event that usually involves two families a barbecue and plenty of rakia and wine. Yesterday I got lucky while visiting some friends in Kortovo Kanare, and became a special guest to this very unusual event.
After the pig was pronounced dead, the men of the families began the long process of turning this massive animal into pieces of food. The first step is burning off all the hair; after this is done they poured water all over the pig and scraped off the burned hair with a knife. Now its time for the fun to begin, After the pig was situated on its back a small cross was carved into its chest. This cross was then filled with salt, for skin dipping. Everyone then surrounds the pig and starts pulling and cutting off the raw skin, dipping it in the salt and eating it. I thought to myself I am in the middle of a discovery channel documentary, or maybe one of the kids in ‘Lord of the Flies’. There is no way this is really happening. Well reality sunk in after we ate the ears and snout (raw of course). I had trouble with the raw snout, It took a while to chew and it was difficult for me to clear my mind of what I was actually chewing on in order to fight back the nausea. After that I became one of them and the rest of the day wasn’t shocking at all. Butchering the pig was quite a process. The pig was systematically cut up and thrown on the grill. Throughout the butchering, a plate of cooked meat (liver, heart, throat, cheek ect.) was passed around to be chased with wine or warm rakia. It was interesting to see how the pig was systematically chopped up and to learn where all the different types of meat came from. It became a bit like a hands on anatomy lesson. Bulgarians eat the entire pig, nothing is to be wasted. It was a team effort, the men, women and the children all did their part as they all worked together to prepare the meat and internal organs for consumptions. After hours of snacking, drinking and observing the butchering it was time for the feast. We all sat around the table and enjoyed a delicious meal of fresh pork.
I feel very lucky to have been a part of this Bulgarian tradition. Spending time with these families and watching them work, laugh, and smile together was very refreshing to see. The Bulgarian pig slaughter has the same family joy and togetherness as an American Thanksgiving.