France and the Wild Boar

France is the country with the largest wild boar population in western Europe, so the boar ("sanglier" in French) ends up high on the country's hunting list and is highly prized as a meat (I've had great wild boar dishes). You can get a hint of its importance by spotting it represented in various ways, such as in cookbooks or as chocolate figurines in chocolate shops.

The boar helps disperse plant seeds that stick to its fur. In France, the total number of slaughtered boars over the last quarter century has increased from 130,000 to 667,000. When cooking it, it’s important to be aware that it can be infested with Trichinella spiralis, a parasite dangerous to humans. To avoid the parasite, either cook the meat for a long time or freeze it for 3 to 4 weeks at -4F (-20C). The meat sold in butcher shops is inspected by veterinary services to ensure it is free of the parasite.