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Japan is known around the world for its immaculately presented cuisine. So when this photo appeared on Twitter a couple of days ago, people were instantly shocked and confused.

Could this be a new dish from a little-known restaurant out in the deep reaches of the countryside? Or could it be a hoax; the result of some fiddling on Photoshop to add a pig’s head and trotters to an everyday piece of fried pork cutlet?

Well, the answer is neither. It’s not a hoax because what you see is actually on the plate. But it’s not actually an edible pork cutlet either. This is the result of some clever artistry – it’s the same magic that’s involved in creating those amazing food replicas you see in restaurant windows in Japan.

▼ Just in case you forgot, there’s a pig here in this pork soup

The manufacturer and distributor of the piggy food replicas, @nagaosample, creates and sells a number of deliciously real-looking items from his website. Reaction to his fake-batter coated and soup-swimming plastic pigs has been mixed, with the majority agreeing with @BloodCape’s comment below, which says the animals look so real they’d ruin anyone’s appetite. Most of all, they’re just plain frightening.

▼ Others are commenting that the replicas are like pieces of modern art.

But it looks like @nagaosample is happy to keep pigging out because he’s got bags of little pigs he wants to turn into jewellery!

What started out as a simple, yet shocking photo of a meal that we half-believe could exist in Japan, has certainly generated some thought-provoking discussions that question our food choices and highlight just how far removed we’ve become from the farm and the slaughter.

What do you think of the pigs in fried-batter blankets? Let us know in the comments section below!

Source: Togech
Featured Image: @nagaosample