There was a TV programme recently in which a butcher recreating the Victorian era prepared a Boars Head.
The first thing he do was to burn off the hair, then take out the skull, and most of the contents and fill the skin with mincemeat and stuffing. The outside was then decorated with sweet icing.
I don't know how far back that process goes, but it might explain why what might otherwise have been a lump of bone, hair and gristle could be described as "the finest dish in all the land", being stuffed with expensive fruit and spices.
Cheers
Dave