A weapon that turned the duel into a choice
A sword duel threatened immediate injury; infected food offered a different kind of danger. By bringing pork said to carry trichinosis, the scholar made the confrontation hinge on whether his opponent would accept a risk of illness rather than face a blade. The opponent withdrew, so the sausages never had to be eaten. Their force lay in making the threat believable.
How pork could carry the threat
Trichinosis is an infection caused by tiny parasitic worms. People can acquire it by eating pork containing the parasites in its tissue when the meat has not been cooked enough to kill them. After digestion, the parasites can develop in the body and cause symptoms that include fever and muscle pain.
That made contaminated pork a plausible menace, not a theatrical prop. The duel ended before anyone could learn whether the sausages were dangerous: the possibility of infection did the work of a weapon without a fight.
