The woolly pig
and wine – a perfect match.
As known as Mangalitza, the Woolly Pig is a 300-year-old breed with a dense coat of curly hair. It was introduced to Styria from its original homeland of Hungary in the former Austrian monarchy.
Its unusual coat consists of bristles together with hairs – hence the name. The woolly pig is known to have a high percentage of lard – 70% – which also contains healthy omega-3 fatty acids.
The Mangalitza on the Krispel estate live three times as long as fattening pigs. Particular importance is attached to their well-being. Woolly pigs are very social animals and can be seen during the wine and woolly pig tour.
The woolly pigs and Toni
What would the woolly pigs do without Toni? And, one might ask, what would Toni do without the woolly pigs? Toni has been looking after the woolly pigs for more than 20 years. The flavour of their meat is unique. The fine marbling of fat ensures that the pork has a taste on its own and stays juicy when cooked. Delicate muscle fibres make it tender and melt-in-the-mouth.
I was looking for alternatives to the usual hogs with the help of the ‘Arche Austria’, an association dedicated to the preservation of rare livestock breeds, and so I came across the woolly pigs. At the time they were close to extinction. So I decided that we should bring the woolly pigs here.
Toni Krispel
The
‘Neusetzer’
The culinary star of the estate is called Neusetzer®. It is taken from the snow-white back fat of the woolly pig that can be up to 15 cm in thickness; selected spices are added and it is covered by a salt crust. There are two variants of Neusetzer® that are aged in basalt troughs for 6 or 9 months. Best eaten cut in waferthin slices.
