And it takes a few expert hands to turn this full figured (300 to 400 pound) friend into sausage, pork chop and other treats. After that the village celebrates with a fiesta.
Stephane Reynaud, chef and author of Pork and Sons grew up in the village of St Agreve. Both his father and grandfather were butchers so he learned from a young age how to raise pigs and also turn them into succulent meals. 
From His Interview on The World this week, I gathered that his grandmother was a big source of inspiration as far as his cooking goes.
With Nicolas Bessiere he runs the restaurant Villa9Trois in the Parisian suburb of Montreuil-sous-Bois.
The book counts some 150 recipes and touching pig illustrations of our friend ‘le cochon’ on a bike (illustration here), lounging and more…
Stephane is called the King of Pork in France and as he puts it "I like pork, but I love pigs"
His take reminds me of the rabbits that my grandfather used to raise in the back of his garden. Then ended up being the centerpiece of the Sunday dinner but I never made (at the time) the connection between these friendly animals I was feeding and talking to and what was on my plate most Sundays.
Other Pig Tales: Saucisson and the Happy Pig