Mangalitsa and Asia

Jozsef Graf, Hungarian Minister of Agricultural
Devlopment visiting Korea

The Hungarians are promoting their Mangalitsa (and other products) in Asia. You can see this here.

Hungary produces excess Mangalitsa. The Asians love pork and although they have lard-type breeds (one of which I'm hoping we can preserve in the USA), they don't have big and tasty ones like the Mangalitsa in mass production.

I was talking with some guys in the Spanish jamon business recently. The current understanding is that Asia - particularly Japan and China - is where they'll be exporting in the next few years. There's tremendous growth potential.

Traditional Yunnan ham

Interestingly, China's Yunnan cuisine already includes cured pork.

Soft pork is a typical problem in developing countries (that fat above is probably yellow and soft) - explaining why the Spanish and Hungarians will find a ready market for their consistently high-quality products.

Based on a phone call I had today, I won't surprise me if Wooly Pigs is the first American company to export lard-type pork to Asia.