Monday, December 22, 2008

Mangalitsa & Pietrain - Highly Specialized Breeds

Old photo of Mangalitsa pigs - more here

I was reading "Pigs: A Handbook to the Breeds of the World" recently. The author breaks down the world's pig breeds into three groups:
  1. White meat types (Large White, Danish Landrace and derived pigs).
  2. Highly specialized breeds: Pietrain and Mangalitsa.
  3. Local breeds (everything else).
I was surprised that she didn't lump in the Mangalitsa with the "local breeds" (like the iberico). Instead, she took one of Europe's fattest and tastiest breed (Mangalitsa) and put it with the Pietrain (one of the leanest).

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