Mangalitsa lard is lighter, and melts at a lower temperature, than lard from other pigs.

The meat of the Mangalitsa pig is reddish, highly marbled with creamy white fat, and is high in

omega-3 fatty acids and natural antioxidants.

Finally, the meat is delectable—the flavor is in the fat, and these lardy pigs have plenty of both.

(There’s a reason big-name chefs have rushed to get Mangalitsa pork on their menus.)

These pigs make amazing hams and sausage, and the belly and loins are succulent roasted.

So are these hairy pigs right for you?

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They are perfect for hobby farms! A lot of people like their pigs to sort of be pets. And there’s nothing cuter in the world than a little blonde or red-haired Mangalitsa. If you treat them nicely, they’ll become as tame as dogs — they’ll follow you, play with you. They take about a year to reach 300 pounds, which is when their distinct fat marbling is at its peak. Their litters are usually around five to eight per farrowing. Mangalitsas are a hearty low-maintenance breed. They need a dry, shady shelter to escape inclement weather. They’re excellent foragers who supply much of their own feed if given adequate land to roam. If you have some forested land, they’ll eat anything: black walnuts, chestnuts, horse chestnuts, acorns. You can speed up their growth rate by providing some barley, wheat, alfalfa, wheat bran or sunflower seeds, but soy and corn aren’t recommended.

Finally, the meat is delectable—the flavor is in the fat, and these lardy pigs have plenty of both. (There’s a reason big-name chefs have rushed to get Mangalitsa pork on their menus.) These pigs make amazing hams and sausage, and the belly and loins are succulent roasted.

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History of the Mangalitsa

Known variously as the Mangalitsa or Mangalica, this Old World breed pig is indigenous to Hungary.

Its name means “hog with a lot of lard” and is pronounced mahn-ga-leets-ah.

Not only does the Mangalitsa pig have a lot of lard, it has a lot of curly hair which makes it resemble a sheep. The fleece can be black, or red, but is most commonly blond. The Mangalitsa is the last pig in existence to sport this unusual fleece, and it was nearly lost to extinction by the 1990s, when only 198 pigs remained in Hungary.

Before vegetable oils were introduced, lard was the cooking medium of choice. Lard was used in cooking, candles, soap and cosmetics. While modern hog farming has moved away from lard pigs in favor of long, lean Hampshires.

Lard fell from favor in the mid-20th century when modern science declared that saturated fats were dangerous to human health. However, lard has less saturated fat and more unsaturated fat than an equal amount of butter, and contains no trans-fat, unlike margarine, vegetable shortenings and hydrogenated fats.

A Hungarian animal geneticist named Peter Toth saw the approaching end of the Mangalitsa line and sought as many purebred pigs as he could find. He began a program that encouraged dedicated farmers to keep the breed alive, and raise the pigs on pastureland in the traditional way. Today, Mangalitsas are back. Today there are over 50,000 Mangalitsa pigs available annually, which still makes them a very special and limited breed, but well out of the danger zone for extinction.