The ham is cured for over two years, allowing greater flavour to develop; this is possible without drying it out because of the marbling.
The pigs are slaughtered in Hungary, then the ham, loin and shoulder are sent to Spain for curing like a Spanish ham such as Iberico, etc.
The rest of the meat is used in Hungary for sausages, salamis, etc.
The ham comes from Mangalica pigs.
These pigs have curly, long-hair that can be blond, black, red or brownish-gray. They shed hair in summer, so the animals will seem darker as their dark skin shows through more.
The pig grows slowly, and doesn’t like confined or crowded conditions.
There will be 5 to 6 piglets per litter.
The pigs are fed barley, corn and wheat, plus what they forage.
Mangalica pigs need more than a year to grow for the marbling in their meat to develop, whereas “regular” pigs are slaughtered as young as 5 months. This makes Mangalica pigs more expensive to raise.
Cooking Tips
Serve in thin slices
Nutrition
Some believe meat and fat from this pig is healthier, because a higher percentage of it is monounsaturated. Some nutritionists feel that they have disproved this, saying that such higher percentages of monounsaturated are only achieved if the pigs are raised and fed in a certain way, which, they say, most of the farmers are not doing. [1]
Consequently, purchasers who want the higher monounsaturated fat content may wish to verify the rearing techniques used for the meat they purchase.
History Notes
Mangalica pigs were first bred in 1833 from a cross between pigs from the Bakony and Szalonta regions of Hungary, with the “Sumadia” breed of pigs of Serbian origin.
The breeding was in response to demand in the mid-1800s for a pig that could survive severe winters while out rooting in the forest, and that could also yield more fat. Remember, dietary fat used to be very expensive.
Then by the mid-1900s, demand had well and truly changed. The market was saturated, as it were, with cheap fats, to the point that people wanted leaner pork from other breeds of pigs. Consequently, the Mangalica pig had nearly disappeared by the 1990s — there were only 198 left.
Juan Vicente Olmos Liorente, chairman of Jamones Monte Nevado in Spain, discovered the pigs in 1991, saw their promise for hams, and began buying every one he could get. He worked with an Hungarian agrarian engineer, Peter Toth, to find farmers who would look after the assembled pigs in the traditional way which allowed them to roam. This would give the pigs the same conditions as pigs that produced the prized Spanish hams. [2]
Language Notes
Aka Mangalitsa.
Sources
[1] “According to dietician Márta Bálint Vörösné, the cholesterol content of mangalica fat is the same as that of any other pig fat. She also said the fat contains unsaturated fatty acids only if the animals are kept under natural conditions – outside all year, where they can feed on natural fodder – and are left to grow at their own rate. This results in fat that melts at a lower temperature than other fats. The problem is that not every mangalica farm adheres to these rules. Farmers tend to give their animals foodstuffs so that they are ready for slaughter sooner.” [“A mangalica zsírjának koleszterintartalma megegyezik bármilyen más sertésével. Vörösné Bálint Márta dietetikus a Velvetnek elmondta, hogy az állat zsírsavösszetétele csak abban az esetben tartalmaz telítetlen zsírsavakat, ha az eredeti, makkoltató rideg tartásban nevelik, és hagyják az állatot a saját ütemében növekedni. Ilyenkor a jószág zsírja alacsonyabb hőfokon olvad, mint a többi sertésé. Sajnos ennek a kritériumnak nem minden tenyészet felel meg. Hogy miért jó a gazdáknak ha táppal etetik az állatot? Gyorsabban éri el a vágósúlyt.”] — Csak parasztvakítás a mangalicamánia. 20 September 2007. Retrieved October 2013 from: http://velvet.hu/trend/mang070920
[2] Curly Haired Snow Pig Rescued from Extinction: Ham Eaters Rejoice. prweb.com. 23 June 2009.
Dr. Radnóczi László, OMMI. The Hungarian Mangalica. Budapest : AGROSERVICE Agricultural Production . 9 January 2003. Retrieved September 2010 from http://www.agroservice.hu/mangainfo1.htm
Platt, John. Rare pig breed resurrected for ham lovers. Scientific American. 24 June 2009.
Sanders, Michael S. An Old Breed of Hungarian Pig Is Back in Favor. New York Times. 1 April 2009.
Zalewska, Anna. The next big pig. Toronto, Canada: The Globe and Mail. 31 March 2009.
