Saturday, April 3, 2010

Mangalitsa Achieves Critical Mass

Where you might encounter some locally fattened Mangalitsa.

There's an interesting development in the Mangalitsasphere - in New York, Florida, Texas and California and Minnesota, Mangalitsa fatteners are starting to deliver their second and third (or tenth) pigs to nearby chefs. Some of the chefs have begun to blog about their unique Mangalitsa creations, made from their local pigs.

In New York, Mosefund has established a network of restaurants that use their Mangalitsa. Chef Angerer celebrates his Mangalitsa lardo on his blog.

In Florida, there's house-cured Mangalitsa bacon and lardo - with Pasture Prime Wagyu supplying the Mangalitsa.

In Texas, Revival Meats supplies Chef Pera and Shepherd with Mangalitsa. They are competing in Oklaholma this weekend, at Cochon 555. There's real teamwork in Houston.

In California, Suisun Valley Farm is about to deliver a few pigs to some of its first customers - Chez Panisse and One Market.

In Minnesota, Provenance Farm is working with one of the Twin Cities' best chefs.

Wooly Pigs bred all those pigs, selling the feeders to Mosefund, Pasture Prime Wagyu, Revival Meats, Suisun Valley Farm and Provenance Farm.

As a result of Wooly Pigs selling feeder pigs to small farms across the USA, Mangalitsa is a national phenomenon. Wooly Pigs isn't the only company promoting Mangalitsa; there's chefs and foodies across the USA celebrating their local Mangalitsa producers. Mangalitsa isn't a fad or a flash in the pan.

Finally, the fact that so many producers are generating real excitement in their various markets shows that Mangalitsa isn't hype. Mangalitsa is really incomparably better than other pork. It really is some of the tastiest stuff you can eat.

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