Meet Eltee Mangalitsa’s Gourmet Pork from Pender, Nebraska!
“Farming is not only our business, it’s our way of life. We live and work on our family farm and are proud to have the opportunity to raise this special breed of pigs.”
Eltee Mangalitsa’s Gourmet Pork is a family farm in Pender Nebraska. Tami and Leon Svoboda have been farming and raising animals for decades, and in 2014 they began raising a rare breed of pig, known for its high-quality meat, clean tasting lard and wooly hair- the Mangalitsa. They chose to focus on direct sales of gourmet pork in order to maintain their farm’s independence and their family’s quality of life. Starting in the fall of 2022 Eltee Mangalistsa will be selling whole animals The Mercato in Lincoln, Nebraska. Tony Incontro, the Mercato's salumnist/butcher, will be creating delicious salamis and other cured meat charcutherie for sale at the Mercato and through an online store with nationwide shipping. The Scarlet Hotel in Lincoln also features their Mangalitsa pork.
“Mangalitsa pigs are a rare heritage breed of swine that is renowned for their tasty, marbled red meat and their large amount of fat”
Eltee’s pork has become popular with chefs and home cooks due to its tenderness and flavor – the meat is a darker shade of red than most pork and has about twice the marbling. The Svoboda’s are dedicated to sharing the bounty of the Mangalitsa with the world – they are active in the protection and promotion of the breed.
“The name Mangalitsa literally means "hog with a lot of lard." They are also known as wooly pigs because of the curly haired fleece that covers their body”
Where you can find Eltee Mangalistsa’s Gourmet Pork:
- Coming Soon! Delicious cured creations that use Eltee Mangalitsa pork at The Mercato in Lincoln, and through Incontro Cured.
- Find Eltee Mangalitsa pork at the Scarlet Hotel in Lincoln
Website: https://elteemangalitsas.com/
Eltee on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/ELTEEMangalitsta/
Eltee on Insta: https://www.instagram.com/elteemangalitsas/
402-922-0330 or 402-922-3005
Pender, Nebraska
The Mangalitsa Pig
- The pig was originally developed for the rulers of the Austro - Hungarian Empire some 200 years ago. They dominated the European lard market until World War II. The introduction of cooking oil and modern meat production largely pushed the Mangalitsa out of the market. The Hungarian government maintained some hog farms, but those collapsed after the fall of the communist government leaving an estimated 200 Mangalitsa's alive in 1991.
- The breed's population is slowly increasing and today Hungary is home to more than 16,500 sows that produce some 70,000 pigs for market each year.
- In 2007 a company called Wooly Pigs, based in Washington State imported a herd from Austria and began breeding the hogs.
- Today their numbers are still small in the United States numbering only 500 to 1000 animals.
- When fed correctly and allowed to mature at a natural rate the Mangalitsa produces a meat that has a stronger flavor and more than double the marbling of average pork. The fat is not heavy and greasy, so it tastes much lighter and cleaner. Perfect for cooking, baking and even body balm or soap