Pig Breeds

Named after the Native American tribe, the Choctaw is a domestic breed that descends from Spanish stock brought to the Americas in the 1500s. Small in size, the Choctaw weighs about 120 pounds at maturity and is black with occasional white markings. The ears are erect to slightly droopy, the neck has fleshy wattles on each side, and the toes are fused to form a single, mule-like hoof. The Choctaw has long legs and is heavier in the forequarters than in the rear, making it fast and athletic. These hogs require little care and are able to forage for food, including roots, plants, acorns and berries. The breed is critically rare, with a population estimated at a few hundred animals – almost all found in the few counties of southeast Oklahoma that were formerly the Choctaw Nation.

The Gloucestershire Old Spot, originating in England, is an excellent forager and grazer, and its love of windfall apples resulted in the nickname the “orchard pig.” The hogs have a distinctive blonde coat with black spots, floppy ears and a medium sized body. Gloucestershire Old Spot pigs were imported to the United States during the 1900s, and have made genetic contributions to several American breeds – especially the American Spot and the Chester White. Favored for its higher fat ratio and flavorful meat, the Gloucestershire Old Spot is critically rare, with fewer than 200 breeding animals in the United States.

The Guinea Hog is a small, black pig that originated in the United States. Descended from West African hogs brought to the United States in conjunction with the slave trade in the early 1800s, these superb foragers are also known as the Pineywoods Guinea, Guinea Forest Hog, Acorn Eater and Yard Pig. Once the most numerous breed on homesteads in the Southeast, today, with fewer than 200, the breed is critically rare. Guinea Hogs produce excellent hams, bacon and lard.

The Hereford is a medium-sized hog breed unique to the United States. Developed in Iowa and Nebraska during the 1920s from Duroc, Chester White and Poland China bloodlines, the hogs resemble Hereford cows, with a reddish-brown coat with white trim, a white face and floppy ears. The Hereford is known for its ability to successfully pasture and for its quiet, docile disposition.

The Iberian pig – sometimes referred to as the “Black Foot” – is found in herds clustered in the central and southern territory of the Iberian Peninsula, in Portugal and Spain. Known for its black skin, little or no hair and lean body, this domesticated breed has adapted to pastoral settings where it feeds on acorns from four different types of oak. Its capacity to accumulate fat under the skin and between muscle fiber, along with a diet from the nutrient rich land, produces the typical white streaks that make Iberian hams prized for making Jamón Serrano.

The Lacombe is a breed of domestic pig native to Canada. It is a medium-sized, long bodied white pig, with large drooping ears and short legs. The Lacombe yields consistent, high-quality meat. The development of the breed began in 1947 with crosses of Berkshire sows to boars of Danish Landrace and Chester White ancestry.

As the name implies, the Large Black is large framed and solid black with floppy ears that fall forward over the face. A native of England, the breed is best known for its foraging abilities and is valued for moist meat and extraordinary bacon. The Large Black is a critically rare pig with approximately 300 breeding hogs in the United States.

The Large White descends from the old Yorkshire breed. Distinguished by erect ears and slightly dished faces, the Large White is large and long bodied with fine white hair and pink skin. Valued for its excellent ham and bacon, the Large White is a rugged, hardy breed that has become a favorite for crossbreeding because of its ability to improve other breeds.

The Mangalitsa or Wooly Pig is a critically rare pig originating from Hungary. There are three distinct types within the breed named for their coat color: the Blonde, the Red and the Swallow Bellied (black with a white belly). Mangalitsa meat is well marbled and juicy, and its high-quality lard-type fat is desirable because it has a healthier balance of Omega 3 to Omega 6 fatty acids than seed oils.

The Mulefoot is an American breed named for its most distinctive feature – a solid, non-cloven hoof that looks like the hoof of a mule. Solid black with pricked forward ears, the Mulefoot is valued for ease of fattening and production of meat, lard and hams. The Mulefoot is critically rare. As of 2006 there were fewer than 200 purebred hogs documented. Most of these originated in the Holliday herd of Missouri, which is believed to be the last purebred herd in existence.

The Ossabaw descends from pigs brought to the United States by Spanish explorers. This critically rare breed is feral and found on Ossabaw Island off the coast of Georgia near Savannah. Isolated foragers able to store astounding amounts of body fat to survive during seasons when there is little to eat, the Ossabaw is very hairy and either black, black with white spots or blonde with black spots. Its snout is long and slightly dished and, although the heads and shoulders are heavy, the Ossabaw has incredible speed and agility – even when moving through dense undergrowth.

The Red Wattle derives its name from its red coat and the fleshy wattles attached to each side of the neck. With a slim nose and ears that stand upright with drooping tips, the Red Wattle is known for hardiness, foraging, a gentle nature and rapid growth rate – in addition to flavorful, tender lean meat. The history of the Red Wattle is unclear, but the breed as known today originated in eastern Texas. Critically rare, there are fewer than 100 breeding animals left in the United States.

The Swabian Hall breed was started by King William I of Württemberg, who imported ultra-fatty Chinese Meishan pigs in 1820 to crossbreed with the ultra-lean Russian Wild Boar that was indigenous to Germany at the time. His goal was to prefect the balance between fat and meat in a new breed of pig. In its purest form, the breed is only located in Baden-Wurttemberg Germany, but American farmers have been raising a “close to original” version for 150 years. The all-black Iowa Swabian Hall is becoming a popular heritage breed because of its near perfect balance of lard to lean meat, not to mention its succulent flavor.

From England, the Tamworth is probably the most direct descendant of the native pig stock of northern Europe. With a reddish coat, long snout, upright ears and strong legs, it's very rugged. Centuries of outdoor life have made the breed an excellent forager in hot and cold climates. Traditionally considered a “bacon” breed, the Tamworth is also known for muscular hams and high quality fat.