May the Pork Be With You
Nov 7, 2007 farming, slow food, sustainable agriculture
Shamelessly stealing another man’s thunder for the second time today, Michael Ruhlman, superstar of pork that he is, mentioned an email from Heath Putnam, owner of Wooly Pigs, who referenced his own blog on which he posted his thoughts about USDA slaughtering versus Austrian slaughtering. Specifically he spoke of his sale of three pigs to The French Laundry and his concern about their slaughter in a USDA plant.
Offering an interesting look from a breeders standpoint, the blog is definitely worth reading.
Even more interesting than the blog, however, is his website. I know far more about pig breeds than I did 30 minutes ago, and also about his soon to be specialty, the Austrian Mangalitsa.
Just look at that picture and tell me you’ve seen anything like that before? I had not (until 30 minutes ago), and it’s because it’s a lard-type pig which he describes as such:
Breeds suitable for producing lard were called “lard-type,” because they fattened so easily. The Mangalitsa was especially well-suited for lard production, because of its metabolism. It could be raised to 79% fat by weight, the highest percentage ever measured.
Certainly biased (and really why shouldn’t he be with pigs this well cared for), he’s written a great deal about the history of pigs in America, and our shift towards faster growing, leaner, and less flavorful pork. There are a bunch of pictures past and present as well as a great deal of video footage of his Berkshires and Mangalitsas and I highly suggest poking around on the site.
You should start right here.
Tags: Berkshire, Heath-Putnam, Mangalitsa, Michael Ruhlman, pigs, Wooly Pigs
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