Mangalitsa Pork

What Is Mangalitsa?

Mangalitsa, also commonly written as Mangalitza or Mangalica, is Hungary’s famous heritage woolly pig, easily recognised by its distinctive curly coat. Often celebrated by gourmands as the “Kobe beef of the pork world”, the breed is prized for generous marbling, rich meat and characteristically fine-textured fat.

Historically valued for both its meat and abundant, high-quality fat, Mangalitsa became an important part of Hungarian farming and food culture. As demand for animal fats declined during the 20th century, numbers fell dramatically and the breed neared extinction.

Dedicated Hungarian farmers and breeders helped revive Mangalitsa, and today it is once again prized for richly marbled pork, creamy fat and its suitability for traditional charcuterie. For a fuller introduction to the breed, read our guide to Mangalitsa pork.

Authentic Hungarian Mangalitsa Charcuterie

Mangalitsa pork is particularly well suited to dry curing, smoking and slow maturation because of its generous marbling and rich fat. The result is charcuterie with a soft texture, deep savoury flavour and distinctive richness.

Our range includes Mangalitsa salami, bacon, smoked ham, lardo, sausage and lard. The charcuterie is prepared using traditional Hungarian methods, including curing, ageing and cold-smoking over hardwood such as beechwood.

The current Szomor Farm Mangalitsa range is made without added nitrates, nitrites or preservatives. Explore these products in our Nitrate-Free & Preservative-Free Charcuterie collection, or read our guide to nitrate-free salami.

Raised on the Hungarian Great Plain

Szomor Farm produces our Mangalitsa products in Kiskunság National Park on the Hungarian Great Plain.

The pigs are free-ranging and pasture-reared across the region’s open saline steppe, where they are able to move freely and forage in a natural outdoor environment. The animals are raised slowly, with a focus on traditional husbandry, traceable provenance and non-GMO feed.

Mangalitsa sits alongside Hungarian Grey cattle and water buffalo as part of Szomor Farm’s wider work with distinctive native and heritage breeds. Explore the broader story in our Heritage-Breed Charcuterie collection.

Personally Selected Mangalitsa Charcuterie

Founder Monika Gyenes grew up helping to care for more than 100 pigs, while her veterinary father instilled in her a strong appreciation for animal husbandry and the importance of preserving Hungary’s native breeds.

From the beginning of Best of Hungary, Monika wanted authentic Mangalitsa to form part of the range. She found the right partner in Dezső Szomor of Szomor Farm, whose work with traditional Hungarian breeds reflects a shared belief that keeping these products relevant to modern consumers helps support their long-term future.

Monika has visited the Szomor estate in Kiskunság National Park to see the animals and farming environment first-hand. Working with the farm, she helped curate a selection of Mangalitsa charcuterie chosen for provenance, flavour and traditional craftsmanship.

Award-Winning Mangalitsa

Several products in our Mangalitsa range have received recognition at the Great Taste Awards by the Guild of Fine Food, providing independent assessment of their flavour, texture and overall quality.

View Best of Hungary’s Great Taste-recognised products in the official Guild of Fine Food directory

Mangalitsa Lard & Traditional Animal Fats

Mangalitsa is valued not only for its meat but also for the quality of its fat. Mangalitsa lard can be used for roasting, frying, baking and traditional Central European cooking, while lardo offers a cured expression of the same rich fat.

For more traditional cooking fats, including Hungarian Grey Cattle beef tallow, explore our Animal Fats collection. You may also enjoy our guide to lardo, which explains how to serve this cured fatback, and our guide to cooking with beef tallow.

Why Choose Mangalitsa?

Mangalitsa offers something quite different from conventional pork: a native heritage breed, slow outdoor rearing, generous marbling and meat particularly suited to traditional curing and smoking.

For customers looking to buy authentic Hungarian Mangalitsa pork and charcuterie in the UK, the Best of Hungary range combines direct producer relationships, clear provenance, traditional processing and independent Great Taste recognition. To see how it compares with another celebrated European heritage pork, read Mangalitsa versus Ibérico pork.