Lancashire Swine & The Mangalitsa or Curly-Hair Hog
Today's topic is hogs, or swine, or pigs, or boar. Though not as efficient as poultry (i.e. chickens) at converting feed to meat hogs are nevertheless much more efficient producers of protein for human consumption than beef cattle.
This illustration of a Lancashire hog comes from the June, 1879 issue of the The American Agriculturist.
Mangalitsa cannot be kept in close quarters and so it has been gradually replaced by modern domestic breeds. It is usually fed with a mix of wild pasture, supplemented with potatoes and pumpkins produced on the farm.[3]
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The primary product made from this pig is sausage, usually packed in the pig's duodenum. The minced meat is seasoned with salt, pepper, sweet paprika, and other spices. It is then eaten in slices with pickled vegetables. The pork is also served braised with sauerkraut, potatoes, and stuffed peppers as a side dish. Farmers also produce smoked hams.[6] The fresh meat tastes strong and juicy; the suckling pigs are much preferred for their good fresh meat qualities.[8]
In the UK the breed is kept free range, fed on standard Sow and Weaner Pellets. The better quality and protein levels of this food is resulting in a slightly larger stockier pig.
Mangaltzas will happily rear their young (who are born stripy like wild boar) in outside arks all year round without the need for additional heat and light.
Killing weight (for meat production) is generally achieved beyond 12 months of age[9], much longer and the additional fat gained becomes too excessive for the UK market.
This illustration of a Lancashire hog comes from the June, 1879 issue of the The American Agriculturist.
Some other interesting swine - like heritage breeds such the....
Mangalitsa
Reference: blogs.villagevoice.com
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"Mangalitsa is a breed of pig grown especially in Hungary and the Balkans known also as a curly-hair hog. It belongs to European unimproved lard-type breeds (as well as Iberian Black, Sicilian Black, and Alentejana pigs) that are descended directly from wild boar populations."
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The primary product made from this pig is sausage, usually packed in the pig's duodenum. The minced meat is seasoned with salt, pepper, sweet paprika, and other spices. It is then eaten in slices with pickled vegetables. The pork is also served braised with sauerkraut, potatoes, and stuffed peppers as a side dish. Farmers also produce smoked hams.[6] The fresh meat tastes strong and juicy; the suckling pigs are much preferred for their good fresh meat qualities.[8]
In the UK the breed is kept free range, fed on standard Sow and Weaner Pellets. The better quality and protein levels of this food is resulting in a slightly larger stockier pig.
Mangaltzas will happily rear their young (who are born stripy like wild boar) in outside arks all year round without the need for additional heat and light.
Killing weight (for meat production) is generally achieved beyond 12 months of age[9], much longer and the additional fat gained becomes too excessive for the UK market.
Additional information in greater detail,
along with references noted above at:
Magalista sow photo accompanying an article -
accessed 21 Oct 2009 @:
If you are interested in Mangalitsa then the people to talk to are the folks at a company called Wooly Pigs. They are all over it.
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