Friday, January 2, 2009

Saveur Article about Mangalitsa

There's an article in the 2009 Jan/Feb Saveur that mentions Mangalitsa (aka "Mangalica" and "Mangalitza") and Wooly Pigs.

Saveur and writer Carolyn Banfalvi did a fantastic job with the article. Wooly Pigs is ecstatic that Mrs. Banfalvi wrote such great things about Mangalitsa. It is gratifying that Mangalitsa is finally receiving national attention.

For me, the key sentence, and one with which I heartily agree, is where she explains that Mangalitsas produce "... red and richly marbled flesh that doesn't at all resemble, in look or taste, other kinds of pork."

She also mentions that that the Mangalitsa lardo she enjoyed in Vienna "... had a creamy texture and intense flavor that surpassed those of any other lardo I've tasted."

I agree. I've eaten that very lardo. Here you can see some videos by Chef Stockner, the man who made that lardo: part 1, part 2 and part 3. There are more videos of Chef Stockner discussing Mangalitsa.

The article also states, erroneously, that Wooly Pigs has sold breeding stock to farms in New Jersey and California. That's not true - Wooly Pigs sells neutered animals. There's more info here about who is fattening Mangalitsa.

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