Mangalica: the Hungarian pig

The blonde mangalica

The culture of the Hungarian mangalica breed has begun in 1833, when sumadia-pigs were imported from Serbia. From this pigs, the tribe consisted of 2 boars and 9 sows, that was bought for the estate of Kisjenő, was valuable above all. Hungarian mangalica, which is considerably better than its Balkan relatives in regard to eihter its appearance or its inner characteristics, was developed owing to the breed-changing crossing of domestic free-range stock (the Bakony and the Salonta ones) with sumadia-pigs and the purposeful selection and rational feeding of the adaptable livestock.

The fur is fine-fibred, in winter curly like the plane whittlings, in summer sparser, short and smooth, and its colour is varying from gray to yellowish-red depending on the quality of the soil of the region. The lashes, the eyebrow and the sense hairs are black, as well as the inside of the tailball. Ear hairs quilting with brown and black hairs, so-called lamb hair curled into a tiny spiral, and coarse, bristlelike raw hair are considered a defect. In he clothood the horrented pencil on the underbelly and the middle-abdomen are unwanted. Bristle growth on older animals is not a so big problem as in case of young ones.

Species flaws: the white eyelashes or eyebrow hairs, brown spots anywhere on he body, the entirely white pencil, the snarllike, freezing, clumsy dog hair and in case of sows the manifest brislecrest spreading on the back as well.

The fur is covered with thin, slate-gray coating, which can be fully remove after slaughter by scalding and burning. The scratching rim, the eyelids, claws and natural body orifices are black, while the lips may be in clearer shades. The coat is faint slate-gray ont he underbelly and the midel-abdomen. The nipples are black. On the internal and lower part of the parotid there is a lighter spot shaded into the slate-gray colour of the surrounding members. The pink belly (but black nipples), the circled abscess (keselyfolt), the white sole, the tallowy or streaky claw, and pink nipple are regarded as species flaws.

In comparison with the body, the head is middle-long, the belly is slightly concave in profile.

The middle-quilted ears lean themselves over the back part of the nose, so they are not handicap the sight. The length of the ears reaches approximately two-thirds of the length of the head. The back is middle-long and slightly arched. The groin is tight, the croup is slightly sloped, the thighs are middle-muscular, the tail is middle-quilted. The belly is tight with 5-5 uniformly distributed teats. The body is middle-long, the bone system is massive.

The movement is characteristic of the pig accustomed browsing; light and flexible. In addition to the previously represented desired body formation, partly because of the weakness inherited from the parents, partly because of in the growth time used the insufficient feedings in the growth period and because of the bad gait, weak-looking animals can be often found. The slight muscle-weakness of the neck, the shoulder and the withers, the moderately long tarsus, the less ventricose chest, the short back, the not enough extensive side, the short, flat, weak-muscled and above the hocks myasthenic thighs, close-hocking etc. are especially frequent flaws.

The species flaws that bars registration are the heavy, covert, coarse or narrow head, the head sharpening like trunk; the too highly-fastened tiny, upstanding ears or the too deeply-fastened, too large, hanging ears, the narrow, blank neck; the high, sharp withers; the weak-muscled shoulders, the strongly drooping withers, the fastened, shallow, flat, chest; the crooked or carp back; the short, narrow, sloping croup; the short tail slim in the front; less than 10 teats; narrow, French, geniculate standing; the bear-foot.

As to its good characteristics, the hardiness, the frugalty and the intence fat production capacity can be mentioned. Beside this, it has flaws too, whose elimination is very important in favour of the persistence of the breed. So for example it is not fruitful enough. It generally brings 5-8 piglet to the world. Through the improper keeping and feeding (only by-product, low-grade or few fodder), which was carried on over decades the mangalica substantially grows slower and is smaller than the other pig breeds.

The weight of Mangalica piglets amounts to 0,8-1 kilogram at the first day, and the whole litter weighs at least 6-10 kilogram at birth. In its age of 30 days it is desired, that the weight of the piglet have to be 8-10 kilogram, and the litter altogether weighs 60-70 kilogram.

The fat production capacity of the mangalica surpasses all other breeds. Through forcing fattening, in 10-12 months, it can be feeded up to 103-150 kilogram or even more with a daily weight increase of an average 500-550 gram. In such a weight, it yields about 55-60% lard and bacon in case of slaughter.

The black mangalica

The black mangalica was spread in the western regions of Hungary. The ascendants of the variety was the croatian black, namely the Neapolian pig, that was crossed itself with the mangalica at times, so it took its similar form, but preserved the black colour of the Neapolian ones. Acording to the fattening test carried out in Kőbánya in 1885, it grew slightly more slowly, however larger than its blonde relative and was much more resistant against deseases. Unfortunately it only was, because the black mangalica, which was breeded in large quantities before, becomed extinct in the 1970s. The last animals could be seen on the Serbian Danube-islands in those years.

The swallow-bellied mangalica

It was breeded crossing the blonde and the black mangalica. Its back is black, but the belly and the internal sides of the thighs are blonde. In other characteristics, it is similar to the blonde mangalica, it has a bit smaller width (ráma) and is more reproductive and perhaps a little more resistant against diseases. By 1993, this variety was also almost becomed extinct, only 32 sows have remained. Today there are several hundred sows, the stock started to increase apace in the last 2 years.

The red mangalica

It is a new mangalica colour, which was bred through crossing the Salonta pig with the blonde mangalica in the years around 1910. The former literature names it an improved Salonta pig instead, but by the 1960s, it has bred fully to mangalica, only its colour remained reddish-pink. By 1933, living animals have hardly remained, the full registred stock numbered only 31 sows. Today there are a couple hundred of sows, its quantity is increasing slowly, but steadily.