Photo: BMLFUW/Rita Newman
Pannonisches Mangalitza Schwein
Record Number: 81
Disclosure Date
In the 1830s first mention of Mangalitsa pigs in the area of the Austrian-Hungarian Monarchy.
Photo: BM...
Pannonic Mangalitsa pig
Abstract or claim
Breeding of Pannonic Mangalitsa pigs is the result of traditional knowledge on free-range husbandry in the Pannonic area of Burgenland.
The meat of the fat-type pigs is dark and very juicy. It is slightly marbled and thus ideal for the production of speck and lard products.
Mangalitsa is one of the last autochthonous pig breeds in Europe. The hogs have a lot of curly hairs and are undemanding, which allows keeping Mangalitsa outdoors throughout the year. Outdoor keeping contributes essentially to the sustainable preservation of the steppe landscape in North Burgenland.
Name of product, Product class
Pork, fresh meat
Name of region
Seewinkel, North Burgenland, Burgenland, Austria
Field of search
Food and Agriculture
Name of information provider
Wolfgang J. Pucher
Pannonic breeder of Mangalitsa
Name of applicant for title
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Holder of knowledge or associated resources
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Grantee(s), holder(s), assignee(s) or owner(s) of title, if any
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Descriptors
- History:
The pig is one of the oldest animals used in husbandry. About 8000 B.C. pigs were domesticated independently in different regions of Asia and, from there, came to Europe.
The Mangalitsa pig (“Hungarian Curly Coat”, “curly-hair hog”) is one of the oldest European pig breeds. In the 1830s the breed was mentioned for the first time.
It is said that the Serbian Prince Milos sent Šumadija pigs as a present to Archduke Joseph Anton Johann of Austria in 1833. These pigs were crossed with pigs of the breeds Bakony and Szalonta, which resulted in the breed Mangalitsa.
In 1927 Mangalitsa was officially recognised as a breed.
The fat-type hogs became very popular in Hungary and Burgenland (a part of Hungary until 1921) and were also delivered to the slaughterhouses in Vienna, Austria.
In 1885 Johann Strauss II honoured Mangalitsa pigs in his operetta “The Gypsy Baron” when the pig breeder Zsupán tells everyone that he lives for pigs and speck and has little time for art.
At the end of the 19th century the Mangalitsa pig was the main breed in Europe. At that time Mangalitsa were fattened to 250-300 kg and the meat was mainly used for producing speck and lard.
Mangalitsa hogs grazed in oak forests, swampy regions and waste land. Moreover, they were kept in paddocks, corporately used pasture land (free of shrubs), fallow land and already harvested crop fields.
Grazing Mangalitsa hogs may additionally create benefits in the reclamation of fallow soils. Moreover, they proved useful in the bioremediation of forests (e.g. silting after floods) and the biological control of larvae of bark beetles and spruce webworms. For these purposes is possible to “rent” a Mangalitsa pig today.
Until the 1950s Mangalitsa pigs were kept on pastures in Burgenland for purposes of lard and speck production. However, a change in eating behaviour from fatty pork to fatless pork led to the vanishing of these fat-type hogs.
At the end of the 1970s in Austria Mangalitsa pigs were only to be found in national parks, zoos and sometimes with hobby-breeders.
From 1986 onwards the “Verein zur Erhaltung gefährdeter Haustierrasse in Österreich” (VEGH; Association for the preservation of domestic breeds in Austria) has taken great care of Mangalitsa pigs.
Between 1989 and 1990 eight strains of Swallow-Bellied Mangalitsa were introduced from Hungary for genetic improvement.
In 1994 the association registered 43 breeders of Mangalitsa pigs who mainly raised Swallow-Bellied Mangalitsa and a few Blond Mangalitsa.
In 1994 a stud book for Mangalitsa was launched in order to preserve the genetic potential of this breed. Today Mangalitsa is recognized as a rare endangered breed. The breed Mangalitsa is in the “red list” of the Austrian Association for Rare Endangered Breeds (ÖNGENE = Österreichische Nationalvereinigung für Genreserven).
The “Interessensgemeinschaft der Wollschweinzüchter Österreichs” (IGWÖ) (Syndicate of woolly pig breeders in Austria) was founded in the framework of the Austrian Agri-Environmental Progamme in 2000 (ÖPUL 2000).
In 2005 three boar strains of Swallow-Bellied Mangalitsa, three strains of Blond Mangalitsa and three strains of Red Mangalitsa from Hungary were crossbred.
Today about 80 Mangalitsa breeders, 250 pure-bred sows and about 80 boars are registered in Austria, two of the registered breeders in the Pannonic area.
- Region:
Photo: BMLFUW/Rita Newman
The Seewinkel region covers the Austrian part of the IUCN-approved (International Union for Conservation of Nature and Natural Resources) National Park Neusiedlersee-Seewinkel.
It extends over an area of 300 km² from Lake Neusiedl to the Hungarian border and, together with the Hungarian Fertö-Hanság Nemzeti Park, forms a unique trans-border national park. The Austrian part of the national park encompasses around 95 km² on an altitude of about 120 m.
Climatic conditions:
The climate is pannonic and precipitation is low (annual average below 600 mm). The Seewinkel region is one of the warmest regions of Austria. Annual average temperature is 10 °C. Summer temperatures rise to over 25 °C on about 61 days. Summers are dry and hot, winters are poor in snow and fog.
Temperatures range from 40 °C in summer to -20 °C in winter.
The vegetation period is long lasting for about 250 days.
Extreme temperatures and aridity in summer lead to higher evaporation during summer and to the formation of pannonic salt steppes.
Habitat:
Photo: BMLFUW/Rita Newman
“Lacken” are shallow steppe lakes, often only 50 cm deep. They are completely rain-fed without any connection to the ground water. As there is no outflow, the salty “Lacken” may dry out during hot summers.
“Lacken”, marshes, reed areas, steppe pasture land for grazing, meadows for mowing and small sandy spots shape the landscape.
The multifaceted soil structure ranges from loess and black earth to rubble and sand.
The Seewinkel is an atypical Austrian region with a unique flora and fauna due to the salty soils Solontschak and Solonetz (in the regional dialect called “Zick”), and the local climatic conditions.
Different habitats result in manifold plant societies containing e.g salt cress, pannonic salt Aster, Austrian Salvia, Salicornia sp., Astragalus sp., and feather grass (Stipa sp.).
Grazing is necessary to maintain specific plant societies.
- Pannonic Mangalitsa pigs:
Photo: BMLFUW/Rita Newman
The term “Mangalitza” or “Mangaliza” (Hungarian Mangalica) means cylindric and might be derived from the Serbo-Croation “mangala svinija”, (a hog which is well fed), maybe also from “mangulica” or ”Manguluc” (getting fat easily), or from the Romanian word “mancare” (“to eat”).
Other sources say that the Serbian language reformer Vuk Stefanović Karadžić gave the breed its name Mangalica, which describes it as a 'hog with a lot of lard'.
Breed description:
Mangalitsa are fat-type hogs of large body size with strong skeleton and strong muscles.
The head is medium long, the ears are medium large and are leaning forward.
The back is medium long and moderately arched, the body is short and deep, the hip bones are slightly sloping.
On the lower edge of the ears there is a characteristic bright fleck (3 - 5 cm in diameter) with gradual transition on the pigmented skin (“Wellman Fleck”).
The tail base is typically thick with a white tail tassle.
The skin is pigmented greyish, the openings of the body, the mouth and the rim of nose, the teats and the hooves are black.
The curled fur is dense and long in winter and shorter in summer. Animal cast the hair in spring and autumn. Farrows show silvery stripes on the body just like farrows of wild boars.
There are three varieties considered as pure-bred:
- Blond Mangalitsa:
It is the most popular variant and has its roots in the crossing of the pre-Hungarian fat-type pig breeds “Szalontai” and “Bakonyi” with the Serbian “Sumadia” pig breed.
Blond Magalitsas show grey to yellow fur. The skin under the fur is dark to schistous-grey.
- Swallow-Bellied Mangalitsa:
The Swallow-Bellied Mangalitsa developed from crossing Blond Mangalitsa with the Serbian Syrmien pig in South Hungary. The term “swallow-bellied” might refer to a black-white marking resembling a swallow.
- Red Mangalitsa
It resulted from crossings between Blond Mangalitsa and the Szalontai hog. The fur is red-brown.
Mangalitsa are robust hogs which are perfectly adapted to the environment. They are tolerant to stress, diseases, low temperatures and also to high temperatures if they have sufficient opportunities to wallow in the mire.
Method of production
Breeding/fattening:
In the context of Region of Delight Austria Pannonic Mangalitsa hogs are exclusively born in Austria; the fallows are raised and the hogs fattened in North Burgenland.
They are kept in Burgenland on extensive pasture land (steppe) and in open stables. During the last 3 months they get food for fattening.
Mangalitsa reach the slaughtering weight of 150 - 200 kg in 1.5 - 2 years.
Boars, sows and piglets can be kept together as the animals are hardly aggressive. The reproduction occurs naturally without any problems.
Mangalitsa has a low fertility with an average litter size of 6 - 8 piglets.
On average, young sows or boars are used for mating at an age of 1 year and about 100 kg for the first time. The gestation period is about three months, three weeks and three days.
Photo: BMLFUW/Rita Newman
Antibiotics, fattening agents, colours and genetically modified crops are banned in feedstuffs.
Meat and description of carcasses:
The pork appears darker than that of other breeds.
Managlitsa pork is characterized by a very high fat content.
The high intramuscular fat content and the marbelling make the pork particularly tender and juicy. Its taste resembles somewhat that of wild boars.
The pork contains specific fatty acids whose composition can be influenced by specific feeding regimes.
Slaughtering:
Hogs are transported to an EC-approved slaughterhouse in the municipality Parndorf. There they get water and are allowed to rest for some days in order to reduce stress.
After slaughtering the carcasses are cut and matured in a cool room at 2 °C for 7 days.
170 kg living weight corresponds to about 144 kg of slaughter weight (including bowels) or 123 kg of matured meat.
Matured pork is delivered to the regional top restaurants.
- Proof of origin:
The hogs are identified by means of an official mark (ear tag) in accordance with the Austrian Animal Identification and Registration Ordinance (Tierkennzeichnungs- und Registrierungsverordnung) 2007.
Connection with the region and Traditional Knowledge
- Specific soil and climate conditions in the region of Seewinkel enable the
management of hogs on extensive pasture land (steppe) and in open stables.
- Traditional rearing system: Extensive keeping of herds on pastures with
specific plant societies throughout the year. This type of management produces
beef with specific characteristics in terms of composition and marbling. The meat
has a very unique aroma and a unique flavour which are directly related to the
local flora.
- The breeding and production of Pannonic Mangalitsa pigs is the result of Traditional
Knowledge passed down from generation to generation: the knowledge and experience
of the hog farmers (adapting the management of herds to environmental constraints),
the know-how of the breeders, the know-how of the butchers (animal transport,
experience in slaughtering, cutting, meat ripening) and of the converters.
- Marketing:
Photo: BMLFUW/Rita Newman
However, direct marketing, farmer shops and lard marketing exist.
- Quality control:
Meat safety and quality are ensured by official veterinary checks.
A quality management system is being developed.
- Utilization:
Mangalitsa pork is rich in fat, which makes it well suited for the production of various sausages and speck (Kübelspeck = speck cured in vats, hammer bacon). Moreover, it is verypopular as roasted piglings or lard products like fat spreads or liver spreads. Mangalitsa pork requires slow and gentle cooking and sufficient cooking time.
The fur of the hogs is used as a material for decorating hats and for the production of shaving brushes.
- Protection:
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Key Words
Food and Agriculture, Traditional Knowledge, Austria, Burgenland, region, North Burgenland, Seewinkel, pig, pork, Pannonisches Mangalitza Schwein, Pannonic Mangalitsa pig, Hungarian Curly Coat, curly-hair hog, Swallow-Bellied Mangalitsa, Blond Mangalitsa, Red Mangalitsa, Mangalitsa pig.
Bibliography / References
- Das Mangalica
http://www.ungarninfo.org/index.php?id=133
- Das Mangaliza Schwein
http://www.cipra.org/competition/strubreiter/Mangaliza.pdf
- Das Rasseportrait- Mangalitza-Schwein/Wollschwein
http://vieh-ev.de/Rassen/Schweine/wollschwein.html
- Das Rasseportrait: Mangalitza-Schwein/Wollschwein
http://www.gartenarche.de/Rassen/Schweine/wollschwein.html
- Der Zigeunerbaron
http://de.wikipedia.org/wiki/Der_Zigeunerbaron
- Deutsch-ungarische Kooperation zur Zucht der Mangalitza-Wollschweine
http://www.vet-magazin.com/wissenschaft/meldungen/Grosstier/Schwein/Mangalitza-Wollschweine.html
- ENDER Klaus; NÜRNBERG Karin; WEGNER Jochen; SEREGI Janos. Fleisch und
Fett von Mangalitza-Schweinen im Labor = Laboratory investigations of
Mangalitza meat and fat
http://cat.inist.fr/?aModele=afficheN&cpsidt=13743890
- Gefährdete Haustierrassen
http://www.arche-austria.at/uploads/archeaustria/dokumente/diplomarbeiten/Diplomarbeit_Robert-Aigner_Alte_Nutztierrassen.pdf
- Interessensgemeinschaft der Wollschweinzüchter Österreich
http://home.tele2.at/wsnaweb/IGWOE/
- ISTVAN EGERSZEGI, JOZSEF RÁTKY, LÁSZLÓ SOLTI
and KLAUS-PETER BRÜSSOW Mangalica - an indigenous swine
breed from Hungary (Review)
http://www.fbn-dummerstorf.de/de/Info/Archiv/pdf/pdfkeyless/2003/heft3-2003/08br%C3%BCssow033.pdf
- K.-P. Brüssow1, J. Rátky, H. Torner, L. Solti. Nutzung von biotechnischen
Methoden zur Erhaltung der Ungarischen Mangalitza (Wollschweine)
http://www.genres.de/ANGEWISBEI494/DDD/494_59.pdf
- Mangalica-Schwein
http://de.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mangalica-Schwein
- Mangalica Sausage
http://www.fondazioneslowfood.it/eng/presidi/dettaglio.lasso?cod=214
- Nationalpark Neusiedler See- Seewinkel
http://de.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nationalpark_Neusiedler_See_%E2%80%93_Seewinkel
- ÖPUL-Maßnahmen 2007-2013. Wie können Landwirte seltene Rassen
erhalten? Eine Informationsbroschüre der ÖNGENE.
- Pannonische Tiefebene
http://de.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pannonische_Tiefebene
- Pannonisches Becken
http://de.encarta.msn.com/encyclopedia_721544676/Pannonisches_Becken.html
- Pannonisches Klima
http://de.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pannonisches_Klima
- Pannonisches Mangalitza Schwein
www.genuss-region.at
- Radnóczi László, The Hungarian Mangalica
http://www.agroservice.hu/mangainfo1.htm
- Schätze aus Österreich: Gesunde Produkte vom Mangalitza Schwein
http://www.xn--schtzeaussterreich-ntb08a.at/schaetzeausoesterreich/shop/delikatessenundfeinkost/schinkenundwurst/speckundgeselchtes/herrlicheproduktevommangalitzaschwein.php - Schweizer Vereinigung für die Wollschweinzucht
http://www.wollschwein.ch/geschichte.htm
- The Mangalica
http://www.mangalica.com/index.php?setlang=en
- Wollschwein/Mangalitza
http://www.permakultur.at/themen/tiere/schweine/Wollschwein_Mangalitza.html
All internet references last accessed on 24. August 2009.
Language Code
German
Product of www.genuss-region.at
Yes
Regional contact
Wolfgang J. Pucher
Pannonischer Mangalitza-Züchter (Pannonic Mangalitsa Breeder)
Eisenstädterstraße 205
A- 7100 Neusiedl am See
Phone: +43 (0) 699 10009355
Fax: +43 (0) 1-41 62 337
E-mail: pucher@mangalitzaschwein.at
www.mangalitzaschwein.at
Authors: Mag. Eva Sommer, Dr. Erhard Höbaus
20.08.2010, Lebensministerium III/4