This is a really interesting question!

To start with I would challenge the assertion that meat was seen as "uncivilized" in ancient Egypt, although bread was understandably important.

The average ancient Egyptian had a diet which was based on bread, beer and porridge made of barley or wheat. Legumes and vegetables prevented enough protein and amino acids to largely replace meat for the common people. Their meals were brightened up by fruits, vegetables and herbs which could be easily grown and prepared. All of these items were able to produced by peasants for themselves, and were either easily preserved or were eaten in season.

It is hard to overestimate the importance of bread in ancient Egypt. The development of agriculture along the Nile River and the production of beer and bread by prehistoric societies is what allowed permanent settlements, and eventual civilization in Egypy. Bread was ritually and spiritually important because it was in many ways the basis of Egyptian civilization.

But, bread was not important because it was contrasted with meat as civilized vs uncivilized food. It was because bread was so basic and essential that they could not imagine life without it.

In ancient Egypt, as in later periods, meat was a luxury enjoyed on special occasions and by the wealthy. In Egypt's hot climate, any meat not immediately eaten had to be preserved. Unfortunately, little is known about methods of meat preservation in Egypt. Drying was a primary method, although curing, brining and smoking methods were also known.

#Patterns of meat consumption

Since animals were expensive to raise and meat could not be easily preserved for long periods, it made more sense to keep livestock alive for dairy and eggs than to kill them.

An exception was made during special occasions, when animals were slaughtered for feasts and sacrifices. Most scenes of slaughter in Egyptian art depict a sacred or ritual slaughter as part of an offering. Special prayers or consecrations may have been spoken during these moments when the butcher (possibly a priest or doctor) slaughtered the animal.

Egypt developed sophisticated methods of butchery and meat preparation for both large and small mammals. Of course, methods of butchery changed with the introduction of Islam and the adoption of halal dietary laws during the Middle Ages, which mandates specific methods of slaughter intended to minimize suffering.

The majority of the meat from offerings would have been eaten by people, with only a small portion being sacrificed to gods or the spirits of the deceased. This pattern of infrequent meat consumption except on occasions of ritual sacrifice was common throughout the ancient Mediterranean. The fact that meat would have most often been consumed during occasions of religious importance means that meat was associated with sacredness, not just luxury.

According to ancient Egyptian beliefs, the dead still required offerings of food to subsist on. The ritual menus left behind include items like meat, fowl, fish, bread, beer, fruit and wine. Even more excitingly, the remains of some of these offerings have been found in tombs. Cups with residue, and dishes with long petrified morsels. The fact that meat was included among the types of nourishment offered to the dead implies that it was acceptable both spiritually and culturally.

The wealthy aristocracy had the opportunity to consume meat more frequently, although bread and vegetables were still the basis of the diet.

Bulls, specially fattened with dough and grain, were the most highly regarded source of meat but were eaten only by the most wealthy. The reason for this is again related to the difficulty in preserving meat in ancient Egypt. Households had to be large enough to consume the meat from a bull in order to justify slaughtering one, and peasant households were much smaller. Smaller households consumed goats and sheep instead.

In addition to staples, great feasts often featured more elaborate or exotic meat dishes, including some that seem strange today, like clay roasted hedgehog. These were prepared by skilled chefs for nobles and royalty. They were served alongside delicacies like wine and imported foods (foreign cheeses, fruits, etc).

#Sources of meat in Ancient Egypt

Cattle, sheep, donkeys and goats were often raised for dairy, with cattle and donkeys also serving as beasts of burden. Cattle were extremely important livestock in Egypt, and the most prized source of red meat. Domestic chickens were probably not introduced until the Hellenistic period (323-30 BCE), although other fowl such as geese and ducks were known.

By the time the historical record begins, livestock was the primary source of meat, while hunting had become more of a sport than a method of subsistence. This is not to say that game was not consumed, just that wild meat typically ended up on the tables of the wealthy during special occasions or after hunting trips.

Hunting and fowling are commonly depicted in tomb art. Wealthy Egyptians frequently decorated their tombs with images of them with loved ones or engaging in recreation. These paintings show us how the wealthy spent their time, and how they wanted to imagine their afterlife.

Despite the fact that most Egyptians lived near sources of water, fish was not as central to the diet as in some other ancient diets. However, Egyptians did harvest various types of fish, eels and other animals which lived in Egypt's lakes and rivers. This was a cheaper and more readily available source of meat than game or livestock.

The ancient Egyptians cooked meat in a variety of ways. In modern Egypt and Sudan, boiling and frying meat are the most popular methods. This is likely true of ancient Egypt as well, although spit-roasting birds or fish is frequently depicted. Ancient Egyptians distinguished animal fat from vegetable fat in cooking, and made use of vegetable oils, clarified and unclarified butter, and animal fats (like goose fat) in their diet.

#Pork taboo

That's not to say that meat consumption wasn't sometimes scrutinized. There is considerable controversy over whether pork was forbidden in ancient Egypt, as some Greek authors (namely Herodotus) claimed. Pigs were considered to be somewhat taboo in ancient Egypt but it is clear that domestic pigs were raised.

Pigs and pork preparation are rarely if ever depicted in Egyptian art, and were associated with the god Seth, a chaotic figure in Egyptian mythology. Pork consumption was also at times associated with foreigners (Seth was the god of foreigners, strife and the desert) which did have uncivilized connotations. It has been suggested that pork was forbidden to priests or at certain times of year.

Pork was rarely offered to the dead, and was not used in offerings to gods, indicating that it was considered unsuitable for this. The fact that it was a cheap source of meat may have meant that the very poor could not afford to heed the taboo.

Archaeological evidence shows that in many parts of Egypt pork was widely consumed by the poor. At times pharaohs even donated large numbers of pigs to temples. This makes sense given that pigs are easy to raise and can subsist on scraps rather than grain or pasture. They also grow rapidly and produce more meat (which is more nutritious gram for gram) than sheep or goats.

In Choice Cuts: Meat Production in Ancient Egypt, Salima Ikram suggests that the taboo against pork may have been rooted in health considerations. Undercooked pork carries parasites like trichinosis and pork spoils more rapidly than most other meats.

Whatever the case, it is clear that pork was not highly regarded in ancient Egypt although it was consumed from time to time, especially by those who could afford alternatives.

You might like this older answer I wrote about food in ancient Egypt that talks about how the ancient Egyptian diet changed over time.