Danish Study Mangalitsa and Iberian Breeds

Recognizing the outstanding meat quality of Mangalitsa pigs, Danish scientists are starting a study using Mangalitsa genetics.

Mangalitsa pigs taste great because of their fat and flavor. The Danes will want the flavor, but not the fat, in their new pigs.

Mangalitsas have a strong, pleasant, meaty flavor. Some call it gamey - but gamey has unpleasant connotations. The flavor is very meaty. Some people (not all) really appreciate this flavor. The fat and the flavor work together to create an incredible food, explaining why Wooly Pigs has had so much success marketing Mangalitsa in America - including this recent New York Times article.

It is possible to get the flavor without the fat - for instance wild boar have a lot of flavor - but without the fat, it isn't the same. And it is possible to get the fat without the flavor - for instance, from the Meishan breed. It will be very interesting to see what the Danes can do.

It is possible to do a lot. For instance, British pig breeders have produced a lean breed of pig that produces a lot more piglets, due to its Meishan genetics. Those pigs have even been exported back to China.