We’re thrilled to offer you an opportunity to taste Spanish Mangalica ham this Thursday from 4-7pm at Provisions. A rich, fatty ham similar to Jamon Iberico, the story of Mangalica is the story of something being worth the wait.

The Mangalica (also Mangalitsa) pig was once plentiful grazing on the pastureland in Hungary. A wooly pig, it was ideally suited to cold Hungarian winters and given extra time to be raised to maturity, the Mangalica was notable for its ample fat and flavor. However, as farming pigs came to favor efficiency and leaner pork, there was lessened demand for the Mangalica breed. And so their numbers declined – down to just 198 hogs in 1993. Around that time a century-old jamoneria began searching for a new breed of pig fatty enough to cure for a long time and create ideal jamon. Their efforts combined with the willingness of hungarian farmers to rescue the breed resulted in a breeding program and the reestablishment of the Mangalica, both in pure- and cross-bred forms, though only breeds that are at least 50% Mangalica can produce meat able to be labeled Mangalica jamon.

The process of curing a ham from Mangalica pigs can take up to 3.5 years, and sometime even longer. The jamoneria tests each ham up to 7 times during the curing process which involves piercing the ham with a long thin needle-like bone that is then smelled by a master ham taster who, by the smell alone, can tell if it is ready.

Please join us on Thursday and learn more about this artisanal cured ham that’s worthy of being served on an Oscar night platter.