Must-Try: The Black Hoof’s sweet and silky pork carpaccio

Eating raw beef is commonplace in Toronto. But the thought of eating raw pork can be cringe inducing. Unlike beef, raw pork is remarkably sweet, which is probably why Europeans eat it with gusto. At The Black Hoof, chef Jesse Grasso flaunts convention by serving Berkshire pork as carpaccio. He takes supremely marbled pork shoulder and lightly sears it before slicing it tissue-thin. He tops it with foraged maple blossoms — both whole and puréed into a pesto — along with pine nuts for crunch and pickled onions for a spark of acidity. It’s right in line with The Black Hoof mentality: ordering it feels like a dare. The taste, though, could put any beef carpaccio to shame. And for those concerned, human cases of trichinosis — the fear of which leads just about everyone to overcook pork — have been nearly nonexistent in Ontario for the past few decades.

The Black Hoof, 928 Dundas St. W., 416-551-8854