The or Basque, french: Pie Noir du Pays Basque, italic=no, is a breed of

pig The pig (''Sus domesticus''), often called swine, hog, or domestic pig when distinguishing from other members of the genus '' Sus'', is an omnivorous, domesticated, even-toed, hoofed mammal. It is variously considered a subspecies of ''Sus s ...

native to the

Basque Country Basque Country may refer to: * Basque Country (autonomous community), as used in Spain ( es, País Vasco, link=no), also called , an Autonomous communities of Spain, autonomous community of Spain (shown in pink on the map) * French Basque Country o ...

. As suggested by its name in French, the breed is piebald, black and pink. What is today called the Basque pig is one of several historical breeds or breed types kept by Basque peoples, and it was consolidated under the name only in the 1920s. Though they were relatively common in the early 20th century, Basque pigs had nearly disappeared by 1981, with fewer than 100 breeding sows left. Today, the breed is preserved by small farmers in France and Spain who are dedicated to traditional Basque foods. Basque pigs grow more slowly and develop more fat than modern breeds like the

Large White ''Pieris brassicae'', the large white, also called cabbage butterfly, cabbage white, cabbage moth (erroneously), or in India the large cabbage white, is a butterfly in the family Pieridae. It is a close relative of the small white, ''Pieris ra ...

, making them less well-suited to intensive commercial meat production, but ideal for the creation of cured pork products such as

Bayonne ham Bayonne ham or is a cured ham that takes its name from the ancient port city of Bayonne in the far southwest of France, a city located in both the cultural regions of Basque Country and Gascony. It has PGI status. Production The area conc ...

. Basque sows have smallish litters of about nine young, but have a strong maternal instinct and are good mothers.

References

Pig breeds Basque domestic animal breeds {{pig-stub