Pigs were domesticated from wild boars more than 9000 years ago. Pigs are actually
related to
hippopotamuses. Vikings terrorizing medieval Europe looked forward to a fine afterlife in Valhalla, where they could feast in perpetuity on boiled pork obtained from the boar Saerminne, a magical creature who after having been chomped on one day, would regenerate the next to forever feed the hungry celestial berzerkers.
About 400 varieties of three general types of domestic pigs are commonly raised: the lard, meat, and bacon types. Lard pigs tend to have a high proportion of body fat and are compactly built. Meat pigs are intermediate between the lard and bacon types, and bacon pigs are leaner than the other two kinds, and common in areas where grains, dairy by-products, and root crops are used for feed.
Many of our member farms are working to bring back Heritage Pork Breeds.