Pig trotters

Pig's trotters, also known as pettitoes, are the feet of pigs. The cuts are used in various dishes around the world, and experienced a resurgence in the late 2000s.

Before sale the trotters are cleaned and typically have the hairs pulled with a hot tank and beaters. They are often used in cooking to make stocks, as they add thickness to gravy, although they are also served as a normal cut of meat.

Chef Marco Pierre White has long served trotters at his restaurants, based on the original recipe of mentor Pierre Koffmann. In the New York City restaurant Hakata Tonton, 33 of the 39 dishes served contain pig's trotters.

Following the late-2000s financial crisis, there has been a boom in popularity of pig's trotters in the United Kingdom as a revival in cheap meat recipes occurred. In 2008, British supermarket Waitrose reintroduced trotters to its stores, and found that they quickly became popular. In 2009, Pierre Koffmann set up a pop-up restaurant, and found that diners ate an entire month's stock of 500 pig's trotters in less than a week.

Pig's trotters are used in many Asian and European cuisines. However, they are less common in Muslim majority countries as the result of Islamic dietary law which forbids the consumption of pork. In these countries cow's trotters are a popular halal alternative.

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