Zasavica - Visitor's Centre Zasavica - čamci Zasavica - priroda Zasavica - ptica Zasavica - ptica Zasavica - Visitor's Centre Zasavica - Visitor's Centre
Aerial View from Visitor's Centre
Aerial View on boats from Visitor's Centre
Nature of Zasavica
A bird in Zasavica
A bird in Zasavica
Visitor's Centre View
Visitor's Centre View

About Mangulitsa

Background

In perid of breed development the basic condition for preserving was the use of swamps, pastures and forests. Typical breeds in the 18th century were “reed-log” from the Great Hungarian Plain and “Bokonyi” from the forests near the Danube Hills as well as the great number of red “Szalontai” which was found on the eastern border of the Great Hungarian Plain. Late maturity, slow growth rate, low percentage of growth increase and, above all, low amount of meat and bacon out of standard were the main characteristics of that breed. The advantage was the resistance to severe climate conditions and diseases. So called “spiny” pig which very much resembled to boar because it was an excellent runner and fighter, was the most endurable breed in the Carpathian.

Half-wild herds were wandering through the forests and pastures during the year. The sows brought forth young in the pools of mud made by themselves in the reeds or bushes. The piglets always followed the sow growing into young pigs on pastures, spending winters outside, digging fertile land or eating acorns, getting little meat and fat and in that way becoming suitable for slaughtering in two years` time. Forests full of acorns and beech bark and spread on the vast area were the places where these pigs were being fattened.

As a result of widespread use of corn that resulted in turning forests and pastures into fields, the conditions for keeping and feeding this breed dramatically changed in the second half of the 18th century. In the 19th century the regulations of water currents made that process even faster. There were also changes in the market. The need for fat and good quality bacon as well as for low-fat meat was growing.

Josef Palatin was given a pack of the “Šumadija” breed containing 10 sows and 2 boars from the “Topčider” pack by Duke Miloš in 1833. Purebred livestock grew into domestic one, gained production and considerably helped the development of the new mangulitsa breed.

From that time various breeds of curly pigs were raised in the coast region of the Mediterranean, in the Balkans as far as the mountain region of Hungary. In the middle of the 19th century this breed grew into mangulitsa pigs which became the exclusive breed in the region where corn was grown. There were certain differences between the animals kept in good conditions and those kept on smaller farms and pastures fed with acorns.

Selection, care about mixing of the pack (which define the standard of the breed), characteristic of the breed and demanding features were carried out. The experts of that time Dorner Enesei and Feren Csaky the manager of K. banya Fatting Plant were in charge of the mangulitsa breed.

During the activities of The National Organisation for Protecting Species after II World War, the development of the new breeds begins again but with considerable smaller number of mangulitsa pigs in favour of meat-breed pigs.

Curly and wild pigs were often considered to be mangulitsa although they did not have the demanded features of the breed. Mangulitsa is a special breed defined by space in the first place.

From that point of strictly preserved genes of unmixed breed of pigs, the genes should correspond to the detail description of the breeds made at the beginning of yhe 19th century. In that way we consider the fat breed of pigs with high-quality fat and meat to be the true representative of the mangulitsa breed.

About Mangulitsa

Mangulitsa has low degree of fertility, it approximately has 5-6 young. A sow with 9-10 young is considered to be very rare.

The varieties of mangulitsa considering purebred breed completely described in the documents are:

  • Blond mangulica
  • Swollow-bellied mangulica – Srem black lasa
  • Red mangulica
Be Sociable, Share!