Pork food culture and sustainability on islands along the Kuroshio Current: resource circulation and ecological communities in Okinawa and Jeju

Abstract

This paper investigates the formation of ecologically sustainable food systems based on pork on the islands of Okinawa and Jeju, which are located along the Kuroshio Current. Observation and interview data were informed by literature on human geography. The results demonstrated that pig-breeding space (pigsty) is key to a resource circulation system that is common to both. Other elements in the system include processes involving the butchering and distribution of pigs and a fair division of labour. This study shows a homogeneous resource circulation system through pig breeding and a pork food culture that played an important role in the formation of ecological communities on the islands of Okinawa and Jeju.

To study island China

“…More broadly, the Kuroshio Current-which connects the islands of Taiwan, the islands off the Chinese mainland, Jeju, and Ryukyu-has historically contributed to complex processes of cultural and material exchange in the East China Sea. These various islands and archipelagos can be analyzed as part of a shared cultural and spatial system that transcends national boundaries (Heo & Lee, 2018;Hyun, 2018;Lee & Hyun, 2018;Tian, 2017). There are, for example, numerous shared beliefs and religious traditions in the region, including the worship of deities such as Guanyin, Mazu, the East Sea Dragon King, Guanyu, Guangze Zunwang, Xuantian, Qingshui Zushi, Baosheng Dadi, Linshui Furen, Kaitai Shengwang, Kai Zhang Shengwang, San Shan Guo Wang, Xu Fu, and An Qisheng.…”

Indigenous Island Autonomy and Special Economic Zone Status: Developmental tensions of Jeju Free International City, South Korea

“…Isolation from the Korean Peninsula and connection with other islands and ports along the Kuroshio Current contributed to Jeju developing a distinctive linguistic, religious, and societal framework (Hyun, 2018;Heo & Lee, 2018;Lee & Hyun, 2018). In ancient times, Jeju was the seat of an island state, Tamna, which was integrated into the peninsular Korean kingdom in CE .…”

Diet and longevity in the Blue Zones: A set-and-forget issue?

“…garlic and carrots and pork liver, or vegetables and freshwater fish); and (iii) the tendency to include locally available foods rather than those prescribed by the classical Chinese medicine handbooks [15]. The intelligent use of all edible parts of pork, including tail, paws, ears, internal organs, blood and fat is particularly remarkable; this tradition is quite different from that of mainland Japan [16,17] where a plant-based diet has prevailed at least until the 18 th century, probably due to the influence of Buddhism and Shintoism [18]. In Okinawa, the spread of pig raising had historically to await that of the sweet potato; this root tuber, native of Mexico, spread to Europe and Asia after the colonization of America.…”

“…The latter are precursors of epigenetic modulators [22] and are beneficial to cognitive performance [23]. Although pork's whole fat was traditionally consumed in Okinawa, in modern cooking pork fat is carefully removed during a boiling procedure called akunuki (あくぬき ) [17]. Although pork meat was traditionally salted for its preservation, the population of Okinawa is known today for having the lowest consumption of salt in Japan [24], which partly explains its lower mortality from cardiovascular disease and stroke.…”