There's a book about this that hypothesizes that middle eastern cultures naturally developed a disdain for pork because it caused a lot of illness in the hotter climate. When chickens arrived in the region, they filled the same role as pigs (turning trash into meat in a cramped urban environment), while causing fewer serious illnesses. This basically eliminated the need for raising pigs and created a cultural disdain for them. Later, religions from the region codified these ideas.
There's a book about this that hypothesizes that middle eastern cultures naturally developed a disdain for pork because it caused a lot of illness in the hotter climate. When chickens arrived in the region, they filled the same role as pigs (turning trash into meat in a cramped urban environment), while causing fewer serious illnesses. This basically eliminated the need for raising pigs and created a cultural disdain for them. Later, religions from the region codified these ideas.