Nero Pugliese pig

History and origin

The Nero Pugliese is tied to the pastoral history of Apennine Italy. In pre-Roman times migrations from central Italy towards the South spread pig farming along the Apennine ridge. Later, sheep transhumance, along routes dating back to Roman times that still match the main roads linking Lazio, Abruzzo, Puglia, Basilicata and Calabria, also helped spread black-coated pigs.

In the nineteenth century these animals were raised outdoors, on uplands and uncultivated land, and roamed freely even in town outskirts. In the twentieth century the abandonment of pastoralism and the arrival of more productive breeds brought it close to extinction, and crossbreeding hastened its decline.

The turning point came in 2001, when the Puglia black pig was added to the list of specially protected endangered breeds and, with the creation of its herd register, recognised as a breed. Today a group of small semi-free-range farms in its historic area is working to revive it, together with the butchers and processors who make up the Slow Food Presidium.

Sources: Fondazione Slow Food — Presidio Suino Nero Pugliese

Area and method of production

The Nero Pugliese is perfectly suited to the region's environment, especially Capitanata, from the Daunian Mountains to the Gargano, the Murgia and the Itria Valley. It favours wooded areas, where acorns, chestnuts, tubers and roots are an important food source; its sturdy legs let it roam the land and make use of even the poorest feed.

The farms are all small and follow a traditional, sustainable method. Feed is based on cereals, local pulses and acorns, and growth is slow. Sows have strong mothering instincts, a quality that adds to the breed's hardiness and frugality.

Slaughter age depends on use: for cured meats animals are slaughtered at no less than 18-24 months, weighing 150-180 kilos; for fresh meat at about a year, at 100-120 kilos.

Sources: Fondazione Slow Food — Presidio Suino Nero Pugliese

How to recognise it

The Nero Pugliese descends directly from the Apulo-Calabrese pig but has kept some features of its own over time. It is sturdy and medium-small, with a black coat and bristles that form a real mane along the back, over the loins. Its legs are strong, suited to an animal that lives at pasture.

Slow growth and outdoor rearing show in the meat, which is succulent with a rich, complex and rounded flavour. Intramuscular fat, present in just the right amount, gives it a particular tenderness.

Sources: Fondazione Slow Food — Presidio Suino Nero Pugliese

In the kitchen

The meat of the Puglia black pig goes into traditional cured meats: capocollo, Puglia salami, sausages, lard and prosciutto. Processing is concentrated in autumn and winter, but thanks to curing the products are on sale all year round.

The two uses follow different timings: fresh meat comes from animals of about a year, while for cured meats breeders wait for heavier animals of at least eighteen months to two years.

Capocollo is one of the breed's cured meats, and it has a long tradition in Puglia: in the Itria Valley, at Martina Franca, the rules of the capocollo Presidium call for pigs raised semi-free-range and fed mainly on local cereals and pulses, the same farming model on which the Nero Pugliese revival relies.

Sources: Fondazione Slow Food — Presidio Suino Nero Pugliese · Fondazione Slow Food — Presidio Capocollo di Martina Franca

Where to taste it

The Nero Pugliese lives in the region's inland areas: Capitanata, from the woods of the Daunian Mountains to the Gargano, the Murgia plateau and the Itria Valley. These are areas where woodland and pasture alternate, and where the black pig finds acorns, chestnuts and roots.

Its cured meats are found through the Presidium's breeders and processors, who work in these same areas. The Itria Valley, with Martina Franca, Locorotondo and Cisternino, is also the home of capocollo, the most typical cured meat of the Murgia dei Trulli: a journey among trulli and dry-stone walls is a chance to taste local pork products.

The cured meats are made mainly in the cold season, between autumn and winter, and thanks to curing they are then available all year: any season is good for tasting them.

Sources: Fondazione Slow Food — Presidio Suino Nero Pugliese · Fondazione Slow Food — Presidio Capocollo di Martina Franca

Protection

• Slow Food Presidium — suino-nero-pugliese (Fondazione Slow Food — Presidio Suino Nero Pugliese)

When

• The sources consulted give no months.

Where

Puglia