I saw something interesting yesterday. A small group here has imported the Iberico breed of pigs and is going about trying to duplicate the pork from Spain. We have an abundance of acorns here so maybe they’ll be successful. I hope so. It certainly won’t be an overnight thing as the real Iberico pork has to forage on acorns and other forest things for two years before being ready for market.
-
-
We have a friend on the French side of the Pyrenees who was involved in an effort to breed and restore the black Gascon pig. These pigs are closely related to the black Iberian pig on the Spanish side of the Pyrenees, but had become rare and endangered. That was the tastiest fresh pork I've ever eaten.
Before widespread industrialization, large parts of the eastern half of North America were covered with oaks. Before there were cattle drives and cowboys, there were pig drives and thus, I assume, pigboys(?). Because of the acorns, the pigs could weigh more after the drive to market than when they started. To market, to market, with a fat pig; home again, home again, jiggity jig. -
::looks at driveway:: Abundance of acorns confirmed.
Comment
-
I’ve had quite a few of their imported ribs. Delicious and a lot different from our domestic pigs. As long as they don’t cross breed them and they retain their genetics, I’d love to try some locally bred. The important thing is to retain the proper monounsaturated fat that sets these apart.
Comment
-
Gonna be hard pressed to keep the piney woods rooters of their hot sows.Comment
-
I hope them great success. We are very fond of Jàmon Ibèrico. Hoping they can successfully raise the equivalent of the Spanish black or red label pork. texastweeter is right that it might be difficult as both labels require free ranging besides the acorn diet.Comment
Comment