MANGALITZA'S en FRANCE

It was in Hungary that the Mangalitza we know today was ‘born’. The Hungarians used the Lincolnshire Curly Coat to cross with their Mangalitza which in fact was very similar to the Lincolnshire Curly Coat. The resulting crossed pig was then named the Lincolista.

The Lincolnshire Curly Coat was one of the rarest breed of pig in the United Kingdom, and tragically became extinct in 1972 due to changing marketing requirements. It was famous for its unusual curly coat which gave fantastic insulation against the elements. It became very popular with both the Hungarians and the Austrians because it was an ideal pig to be kept and raised outdoors because of its unusual coat which not only  gave it added protection from the sun, but also made it hardy enough to survive the harsh winters.

During the 1920's Lincolnshire Curly Coats won many of the top awards at the Budapest show and achieved the Gold Medal in 1925. Before too long, crossbred Lincolistas were absorbed into the native Mangalitza stock in Hungary and Austria.

There are three types of Mangalitza – the Blonde, the Red and the Swallowbelly.  The Blonde is called the Hungarian fat pig. The Red was bred from the red Szalonta pig, and the Swallowbelly was produced from the crossing of the Blonde Mangalitza with the Serbian Szeremseg (Syrmien) pig. Those in the west are usually 'swallow bellied'. Further east a single blonde colour (like Pepper) predominates whereas in parts of Hungary and the Balkans a red tinge (like Ginger) is apparent.

Mangalitza pigs are  large/med framed. They are an extremely hardy breed, rarely becoming ill and capable of surviving the harsh winters of the region in which they were farmed. (Useful qualities in areas where there were no vets or animal hospitals). They ranged freely foraging for food in the steppe and wooded regions where they are still held in high regard of the quality of their bacon. Until the Second World War their meat products were in demand all over Europe to such an extent it was traded on the Vienna Stock Exchange and a hundred thousand animals a year were sold from Hungary to the West.

In Switzerland the pigs were a very important product where they were slowly overtaken in importance by the dominant "English" style animals which are more suited to "intensive" rearing.   Ham and cutlets from the pink pigs were suddenly more in demand than bacon and lard from the Mangalitza. The woolly pig’s days seemed to be numbered.

But the woolly pig may yet live to grunt another day, thanks to the work of the Swiss environmental protection foundation, Pro Specie Rara. In 1986, Pro Specie Rara stepped in to stop the race dying out altogether, encouraging farmers to breed the species. (The Black Mangalitza has become extinct). Eight years later, a dedicated breeders association was established and now has in excess of 70 members.

Today preservation programmes are in place in other countries to, and recently in the United Kingdom.  In 2006, for the very first time, a small number of Mangalitzas were imported to the UK. The hope is that the UK breed may be moved closer to the original Curly Coat.  Meanwhile, the numbers are increasing there.

We hope to achieve a successful breeding programme here in France. To produce pure lines to breed standard, and keep records of bloodlines and movements of the pigs we breed and sell on to others.

BREED DESCRIPTIONS

Blond Mangalitza

The very dense curly coat can vary in colour, from grey to yellowish and combinations thereof.

Swallow Bellied Mangalitza

The back and flanks have black fur but the lower part of the body, belly and chaps extending to the corner of the mouth, are yellow, white or silver.

Red Mangalitza

The coat is reddish, similar to a Tamworth, and like the Tamworth you could expect to see varying lighter and darker shades.

The red is slightly larger than the other two types both in size and weight and therefore has a higher growth rate and fertility.

Traditional Hungarian Meat Products

The Hungarian Mangalitzas’ - Red, Blonde and Swallow-bellied pigs have served as a food resource in Hungary for centuries.

The meat produced from the Mangalitza’s was once in great demand all over Europe. At its peak a hundred thousand animals a year were sold from Hungary to the West. Mangalitza’s are renowned for producing high quality bacon, the original Hungarian salami sausage and Parma ham.

Nowadays the breeding of these traditional pigs is starting again for the production of traditional products such as:

Vas Mangalitza dry sausages,

Gyula Mangalitza sausage,

Gyula Mangalitza chuck,

Gyula Mangalitza bacon,

Vas Mangalitza liver paté,

Vas Mangalitza smoked delicate bacon,

Vas Mangalitza lard,

Mangalitza Stifolder

Mangalitza paprika thick sausage

(Vas and Gyula are Regions of Hungary – Recipes to be added later).