May 4th, 2014: Mangalitsa or Mangalica

[xoxoxoBruce]

What could be sweeter than a critter to give Granny wool to knit you a warm scarf, and savory bacon for the soul.
Introducing the Mangalitsa or Mangalica sow.



From Amusing Planet...

Breeding of the Mangalitsa started in the 1830s in the Austro-Hungarian Empire after Archduke Joseph Anton Johann, the seventh son of the Roman Emperor Leopold II, received some Sumadija pigs from a Serbian prince, and crossed them with Bakony and Szalonta pigs. The resulting Mangalitsa sported curly hair and were inclined to put on much weight. Initially the pig was reserved for the Habsburg Royalty, but because of its great taste it became so popular that by the end of the 19th century it was the main breed in Europe.

Mangalitsa does not require special care and has good fattening ability. In fact, the Mangalitsa is one of the fattiest pigs in the world with fat accounting for 65% to 70% of its body weight. Its meat is considered among the tastiest pork in the world. The meat of the Mangalica pig is reddish, highly marbled with creamy white fat, and is high in omega-3 fatty acids and natural antioxidants. This is due to the natural diet of forage, wheat, corn and barley. Mangalica lard is lighter, and melts at a lower temperature, than lard from other pigs, because it contains more unsaturated fat.

Everything was fine and dandy until people got prosperous enough to be eating pork and bacon every day, but then...

The lard type hog fell from favor in the mid-20th century when people learned that saturated fats were dangerous to health. The breed rapidly declined and was replaced with leaner and more rapidly growing breeds with more meat and less fat. By the end of the 1970s Mangalitsa pigs in Austria could only be found in National Parks and Zoos, and less than 200 breeding sows remained in Hungary.

But it's making a comeback with 8,000 breeding sows in Hungary producing 60,000 piglets a year. Those 30 minute orgasms may help.