How the chauvnists and their religion kept pork, the delicacy of many out of Ethiopia while many died of starvation❗️
Posted: 13 Jun 2026, 13:10
Ethiopian Orthodox Tewahedo Church strictly prohibits the consumption of pork, viewing it as an "unclean" animal. This has effectively kept pork out of the mainstream Ethiopian food chain and daily diet for centuries.
The prohibition traces back to deep cultural and historical ties to Judaism and the Old Testament dietary laws (similar to Kosher rules) rather than official New Testament doctrine.
The key factors include:
* Biblical Roots: The church adheres to Old Testament dietary laws, meaning any meat consumed must come from an animal that has a split hoof and chews the cud, completely excluding the pig.
* Cultural Adoption: While most of Christianity considers these laws fulfilled and abolished, the ban on pork assimilated so strongly into ancient Ethiopian culture that it remains a deeply ingrained taboo.
* Shared Taboos: Because the prohibition aligns with Islamic Halal and Jewish Kashrut dietary laws, the avoidance of pork is widely shared across most of Ethiopia, including among Muslims and Ethiopian Jews.
* Limited Farming: Due to this overwhelming cultural consensus, pig farming and consumption are heavily marginalized in the country, restricted almost entirely to a few non-Christian, indigenous minority groups in the western borderlands.