John Myers
The Mangalitza pig is a Hungarian breed of pig and is also known as the woolly pig. Its meat is extremely tender and fine-grained and has a comparatively high fat content. This ensures a noble marbling and a particularly juicy and strong taste.
Various factors lead to this very high meat quality: Mangalitza pigs have a slow, natural growth. Today, the Mangalitza pig, also known as woolly pig, is mainly bred by farms that can provide it with species-appropriate husbandry and a sufficiently long life. Due to its hair coat and its thick layer of blubber, it can spend the whole year outdoors, even in extreme weather.
The woolly pig is relatively unknown as a food, but the meat is very popular among gourmets. It is becoming increasingly popular, especially in Austrian and Swiss gastronomy. The pigs were threatened with extinction in the early 1990s. Subsequently, there were various initiatives across Europe to preserve the breed. The pigs are now being bred again all over Europe.
