Fluffy chonks - Mangalitsa pigs
Hungary
I have been seeing various impressionable pigs pop up while internet scrolling lately. It first started with Lechonk from the Pokémon Scarlet & Violet trailer.
Its release had netizens overwhelmingly react with fan art pieces and memes. There have been pig Pokémon before (Tepig anyone?), but it’s the chonk factor I tell you.
Then there was this video of a blissfully, contented pig that surfaced on Reddit.
So, without further ado, I give you another pig.
Magyar Posta or Hungary Post issued stamps featuring Mangalica or Mangalitsa pigs back in May 9, 20051. It cost 500 ft (approx. USD 1.31) - the ‘ft’ stands for forint, the currency of Hungary. Note that ‘Magyarország’ on the stamp means Hungary in Hungarian.
In real life, this is what a Mangalitsa pig (pronounced MAHN-ga-leet-za) looks like — wrapped in wooly fleece. The stamp actually does a pretty good job depicting the curly haired hogs.
As shown in the stamp, Mangalitsas come in three colors - bright red, blond and black with a cream stomach (known as ‘swallow belly’), and they shed their coat in the summers.
Their marbled meat is apparently so delicious that it has been hailed as the 'Kobe beef of pork.' 2
Mangalitsas were historically raised for lard and prized for their mellow, silky fat in the 1830s. By the end of the 19th century, it became the main breed in Europe3. However, their popularity declined with the collapse of the Austro-Hungarian Empire after World War I, modern refrigeration, the substitution of cheaper vegetable oils for lard, and the communist popularity of white pigs that were leaner, faster-maturing and less expensive to raise (but also less flavorful). In fact, purebred Mangalitsas almost vanished until a Hungarian geneticist, Péter Tóth started efforts to revive the breed in the 1990s4.
Since then, Mangalitsas have reached luxury gourmet status and are regularly mentioned alongside the Spanish Ibéricos. In 2004, the Hungarian government officially registered Mangalitsas as a national treasure5.
If you are Hungary (heh) and thinking of feasting on the Mangalitsas, know that Péter Tóth, the geneticist who revived the breed said
“the only surefire way to protect the Mangalitsas is by eating a lot of them.”6
but he also said
“Humans should eat less meat, for sure. But when they do, it should be high quality. For example, one piece of mangalica per week.”7
https://www.wnsstamps.post/en/stamps/HU035.05
https://modernfarmer.com/2014/03/meet-mangalitsa-hairy-pig-thats-kobe-beef-pork/
https://www.mboar.org/history
https://www.nytimes.com/2009/04/01/dining/01pigs.html
https://mkogy.jogtar.hu/jogszabaly?docid=a04h0032.OGY
https://www.offbeatbudapest.com/features/unsung-hero-hungarian-gastronomy-mangalitsa-pork/
https://www.theguardian.com/world/2019/dec/27/hungary-fight-to-save-mangalica-pigs