I was lucky enough to be offered, a few years ago, the opportiunity to sell Mangalitsa pigs. They came from Suisun Valley Farm in Fairfield Ca. We travelled up california to a town called Orland to pick them up. My friend Chris rode shotgun. We had been told these pigs were large but that didn't prepare us for the huge wall of flesh that confronted me at the slaughterhouse. Each side of pork was a good 150 lbs. The fat was a three or four inch covering on each side.
Mangalitsa pigs are famous for having lots of fat, That's what made them popular in their countries of origin- Austria and adjacent Serbia. That was in the 19th century ,before refrigeration, and a layer of fat over cooked meats kept them fresh. But in the 20th century the popularity of the Mangalitsa waned until, by the early 1950's. they were almost gone. An Austrian genetecist called Peter Toth was their savior. He collected specimens from the few remaining herds and kept the breed alive. Now they thrive in quite a few countries . Their flesh is delicate and flavorful, their fat is delicious.
So, we put these large carcasses in the back of our vintage , yellow truck and headed off. We stopped at a general market and I bought 18 bags of ice to keep the meat cold. We had a long journey ahead of us - about 600 miles.
It was a long haul and by the time we reached the Grapevine we were both tired. We fortified ourselves with hamburgers and took on the 5 freeway one more time. Heading south and over the mountains to Los Angeles and home. The meat was safe and still cold. In the morning, I set out to deliver as much as possible. A couple of primals I had selected ended up in my back fridge. They made lardo and prosciutto. It was worthwhile trip.
No comments:
Post a Comment