Saving Mangalica: How the rare 'sheep-pig' was rescued

Source: BBC News14 November 2014 Last updated at 00:18 GMT

In eastern Hungary there is an increasingly common sight - a field of pigs with snouts and trotters but also curly, woolly fleeces.

To the uninitiated it is a sheep-pig. In reality it is the Mangalica, a comical but appealing breed that is taking the food industry by storm.

The Mangalica was first bred for the tables of the Austro-Hungarian emperors, but under communism it nearly disappeared altogether.

The breed was rescued from the brink of extinction by the efforts of animal geneticist Peter Toth.

After the fall of the Berlin Wall in 1989, he went on a mission to rescue the Mangalica, buying up the last pigs directly from the abattoirs.

Now, as President of the Mangalica Breeders Association, he has fallen in love with the breed and oversees the production of 20,000 pigs, and Mangalica - famed as the "Kobe beef of the pork world" - is served in Michelin-starred restaurants the world over.

Peter Toth told BBC News why the Mangalica was so special, and what saving the breed means to him.

Producer: Lucy Hooker. Editing: John Galliver.

Furry Hungarian hog promises to take pork lovers to 'pig heaven'

Source: Detroit Metro Times
Posted By Jane Slaughter on Mon, Nov 3, 2014 at 5:11 PM

Imagine lard whipped till it's fluffy, with a sprinkle of cracklings mixed in. Then imagine a furry Hungarian pig, bred to produce more such ambrosial fat than any other porker in the world.

A motley group of Michigan breeders, restaurant people and food writers were treated last night to four courses of cuts from the famous Mangalitsa pig, at a dinner sponsored by Pure Mangalitsa [puremangalitsa.com], which is promoting the porkers in the U.S. The breed dates to 1833 and according to its boosters is directly descended from wild boars — yet Mangalitsas are calmer than commercial pigs and love to be petted. They are furry and round; even the piglets have jowls, said a proud breeder.
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Pig Must Have (Translated)

Text by Nina Kaltenbrunner · Photos by Philipp Horak 

Pork has a long tradition in our food culture. Although today the per capita consumption in Austria with almost 70 percent is much higher than that of beef or other meats, the pork in this country has no particularly good reputation. And mostly to right. Factory farming, Turbo breeding, fattening corn and dumping prices leave the meat of the extremely intelligent, social and sensitive animals appear in some good light. The stress is on the even-toed ungulates, not welfare, as well as poor diet and lack of exercise lead to a loss of quality of the meat. But this need not be. Because what many know, now heed a few: To keep pigs humanely, it does not take much. For several years, is characterized in terms of pig but already a new awareness from, responsible breeders as grateful gourmets rely on old races and the factor of time. The result is impressive: aromatic, tender meat, the international comparison does not itself need to be afraid. 

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Four Star New York City Restaurant serves up Mangalitsa!

Doesn't this look delicious? Mangalitsa pork loin, aged three-weeks, with grilled abalone. Read More.

10 Reasons You Should Be Cooking With Lard

The Huffington Post
by Julie R. Thomson

In a not so distant past (about a century ago) and in a not so foreign land (like, in America), lard was the fat that people cooked with. It wasn't butter. Nor canola oil. And definitely not extra virgin olive oil.

Lard -- rendered pig fat -- was what people used when they needed to make pastry; when dinner needed frying; and even as a quick breakfast, eaten smeared on a piece of bread. So much has changed in our recent history. Lard is not only out of favor, it's even considered a derogatory word. Read More

Blonde Mangalitsa Live with Kelly and Michael

This is great PR for the Mangalitsa Pig.

Click here to watch all the great things Michael has heard about the Mangalitsa.

Michigan farmers raise furry, Hungarian Mangalitsa pigs to produce the 'Kobe beef' of pork

(Source: MLive.com)

WILLIAMSTOWN TWP. — They're furry, they're fatty, and apparently delicious.

After nearly facing extinction, the Mangalitsa pig is making a comeback in Europe and the United States thanks to the work of Michigan farmers like Wilhelm Kohl, who was among the first to import the pig to the U.S. (more)