April Bloomfield of the Spotted Pig: “When I tasted this pig,” Ms. Bloomfield said of the Mangalitsa, “it took me back to my grandmother’s kitchen on a Sunday afternoon, windows steaming from the roasting pork in the oven. Back then pork tasted as it should: like a pig. This pork has that same authentic taste.”
Devin Knell, executive sous-chef at the French Laundry: “Unlike workaday pork,” Mr. Knell said, “Mangalitsa is marbled, and the fat dissolves on your tongue — it’s softer and creamier, akin to Wagyu beef.”
Keith Luce, the executive chef at the Herbfarm Restaurant outside Seattle.
“Because it’s so great for curing,” Mr. Luce said, “we’re laying it down and curing the legs predominantly, making lardo, all the traditional things. It’s a true nose-to-tail experience with the Mangalitsa, and there’s not any part we’re not using.” The restaurant has also featured the meat on its tasting menu in a different form almost every night recently. “We were laughing when we tasted it,” Mr. Luce continued. “We couldn’t control ourselves. The taste, the texture was so unbelievable.”
Source: (Quotes from “ An Old Breed of Hungarian Pig is Back in Favor”, by Michael S. Sanders, published March 26, 2009 in the New York Times – Dining and Wine)
Pastry chefs also clamor for the leaf lard derived from Mangalitsas – the silky magic ingredient for the flakiest, tastiest pie crusts. Rendered lard can be whipped until so fluffy and white it looks like vanilla ice cream. Former New York Times food critic Ruth Reichl called it “the single best pastry fat I’ve ever found.” “Mangalitza’s are the prettiest pigs. And their lard is perfect in pastry. Easy to roll out, very flaky, lovely, fresh flavor.”
Source for quote: https://twitter.com/ruthreichl/status/9025609827
Sam Hazen, executive chef at Veritas in New York, says the pork is the best he has tasted. “For me, it’s the best pork in the world,” says Sam Hazen who uses only Mangalitsa for his pork dishes. “It’s got incredible texture and it’s consistent; it’s never dry. It’s very, very special.”
Source: Bringing Home The Woolly Bacon From Hungary — by Adee Braun
Posted on the Winfield Mangalitsa Page https://winfieldfarm.us/store/?page_id=770