In English, long pig is human flesh eaten by cannibals. As I couldn't find a French equivalent for it in any of the dictionaries that I can look up into, I was wondering if anyone knows a good French translation for this imaginative expression.
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1This is an interesting question, indoxica. I have never heard of this expression and neither has my girlfriend, and we are both anglophones. I really enjoy questions like this, because they are educating in both languages. It's always interesting to see if an expression or equivalent can be found!– Patrick SebastienJul 19, 2013 at 14:37
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@Patrick Sebastien Indeed, they are. I do appreciate... your appreciation of my questions.– indoxicaJul 19, 2013 at 14:45
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3 Answers
Long Pig is a culinary term that refers to human beings. The most accurate translation would be "Chair humaine".
You could also use "Bidoche" or "Barbaque" if you want slang words about "Viande" (aka meat).
There are lots of expressions about Viande on cntrl.fr, but nothing about cannibalism.
From wikipedia about Cannibalism:
The friar Diego de Landa reported about Yucatán instances,[67]and there have been similar reports by Purchas from Popayán, Colombia, and from the Marquesas Islands of Polynesia, where human flesh was called long pig[68].
answered Jul 31, 2013 at 7:20
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Bidoche: I like the sound of it. That's why I've just upvoted your answer.– indoxicaJul 31, 2013 at 7:23
There is no French equivalent that I could find.
All there is, is the original Marquesaan (Polynesian) word "puaa ao" which can be translated into English as "long pig that speaks". You could translate that literally : "Le grand porc / cochon qui parle".
I have never heard of a similar expression. To convey meaning, my best guess would be to translate it simply by “chair humaine” (literally “human flesh”). If you want to preserve style, I can think of anything better than @Kwaio.
