The French butcher pigs in a way that uses nearly all the animal with little waste:
araignée de porc or the cigaline: tender bits from the jambon. Not often seen in the supermarket.
carré de côtes: spare ribs
côtes: pork chops, divided into filets, premières and secondes
échine: upper part of the neck, including the blade bone and spare ribs. Often tied up to make a rôti de porc or cut into thin steaks, côte échine, marbled with fat which many prefer to the classic pork chops. Also used to make collet
épaule: shoulder, butt, hand, arm, cottage or picnic ham, depending on where you come from. Often used in sausages, and in porc effiloché (pulled pork) slow cooked, then dry roasted
Images by dalmas, le porc