The swineherd, standing up
to share the meat – his sense of fairness perfect –
carved it all out into seven equal portions.
One he set aside, lifting up a prayer
to the forest nymphs and Hermes, Maia’s son,
and the rest he handed on to each man in turn.
But to Odysseus he presented the boar’s long loin
and the cut of honor cheered his master’s heart.
– Homer
The Odyssey, Book 14, lines 490-497. Eumaeus honors his guest as if he were a king, which of course Odysseus is. He gives Odysseus the choicest cut of meat, the loin from the boar.