Pig bladder
A pig bladder or pig's bladder is the urinary bladder of a domestic pig, similar to the human urinary bladder. Today, this hollow organ has various applications in medicine, and in traditional cuisines and customs. Historically, the pig bladder had several additional uses, all based on its properties as a lightweight, stretchable container that could be filled and tied off.
Traditional uses
The pig bladder has several traditional ceremonial uses in Europe. It is traditional during the festival Fasching in Bad Aussee to brandish inflated pig bladders on sticks. Similarly, in Xinzo de Limia, Spain, inflated pig bladders are carried during Carnival. See also Clown society and Jester and Gigantes y cabezudos and Vejigante.
In traditional Germanic communities a public Schlachtfest (of a pig) is announced by hanging the pig's inflated bladder in front of the host establishment. The bladder is used as a casing for several traditional food items, including the sausages known as ventricina and sobrassada.
Historical uses
Historically the pig bladder was used in sports, as the airtight membrane ("bladder") inside a football[when defined as?]. In the early 19th century the inventor William Gilbert used pig bladders in the manufacture of rugby balls. Decades later, Richard Lindon did the same. (See also Mob football, Medieval football, and La soule.)
For centuries before the invention of the paint tube, artists used to store their paints in pig bladders. When the artist was ready to use the paint, they would puncture a hole in the bladder and squeeze out the desired amount of paint. They would have to mend the hole when finished and the whole process was quite messy. [1] The oil paint tube was invented in 1841, as the primary packaging of paints for transport and storage.[2]
In the bian lian ("face changing") style of Chinese opera, painted pig bladders were used as face masks.
See also
- Artificial urinary bladder
- Balloon
- Bladder pipe
- Bumbass
- Rubber chicken
- Terry Dicks
- German cuisine
- Spanish cuisine
- The medical technology company ACell is developing extracellular matrix products derived from pig bladder.
References
- v
- t
- e
- Kingdom Animalia
- Phylum Chordata
- Class Mammalia
- Order Artiodactyla
- Suborder Suina
- Family Suidae
- Subfamily Suinae
- Genus Sus
- Species Sus domesticus
- Farming
- Intensive farming
- Sty
- Pannage
- Toilet
- Hog oiler
- Gestation crate
- Cross-fostering
- Swineherd
- Feedback
- As food
- Bacon
- Bondiola
- Capocollo
- Ham
- Lard
- Pork
- Chitterlings
- Scalder
- Slaughter
- Suckling
- Blood
- Religious restrictions
- Scottish pork taboo
- Freddy the Pig
- Flitch of bacon custom
- Floyd of Rosedale
- Miss Piggy
- Porky Pig
- Piglet
- "The Three Little Pigs"
- Animal Farm
- Old Major
- Napoleon
- Snowball
- Squealer
- Babe
- Babe: Pig in the City
- Bad Piggies
- Blandings Castle
- My Brother the Pig
- Charlotte's Web
- The Sheep-Pig
- Peppa Pig
- Super Pig
- Butareba: The Story of a Man Turned into a Pig
- Fair, then Partly Piggy
- Jakers! The Adventures of Piggley Winks
- Kazoops!
- Olivia (character)
- TV series
- Pink Floyd pigs
- Pinky and Perky
- Preston Pig
- Rasher
- Porco Rosso
- Spider-Ham
- Spider pig
- The Tale of Little Pig Robinson
- The Tale of Pigling Bland
- "This Little Piggy"
- Toot & Puddle
- Huxley Pig
- Wibbly Pig
- Zhu Bajie
- Hamilton Hocks
- Pig City
- List of individual pigs
- List of fictional pigs
- Piganino
- Pigasus (politics)
- Category: Pigs