The Swabian-Hall swine (''Schwäbisch-Hällische Landschwein'') is a breed of domestic pig originating from
Schwäbisch Hall
Schwäbisch Hall (; "Swabian Hall"; from 1802 until 1934 and colloquially: ''Hall'' ) is a city in the German state of Baden-Württemberg located in the valley of the Kocher river, the longest tributary (together with its headwater Lein) of the ...
in
Baden-Württemberg
Baden-Württemberg (; ), commonly shortened to BW or BaWü, is a German state () in Southwest Germany, east of the Rhine, which forms the southern part of Germany's western border with France. With more than 11.07 million inhabitants across a ...
, Germany. It is a large pig, white in the centre with a black head and rear and narrow grey bands at the transition from white to black skin. They have large litters averaging more than nine piglets.
History
The nickname is Mohrenköpfle. The breed was started by King
William I
William I; ang, WillelmI (Bates ''William the Conqueror'' p. 33– 9 September 1087), usually known as William the Conqueror and sometimes William the Bastard, was the first Norman king of England, reigning from 1066 until his death in 1087 ...
, who imported
Meishan pigs from China in 1820/21 to crossbreed with the
German Landrace with the idea of increasing the fat content. This crossbreeding with the "Chinese pigs" was particularly successful within the stocks of domestic pigs in the Hohenlohe region and the area around the town of Schwäbisch Hall.
The breed proved popular and by 1959 totaled 90% of pigs in Baden-Württemberg. However, their popularity declined in the 1960s with the markets preferring leaner pork with less fat than the ''Swabian-Hall'' could offer. The breed was kept going in small numbers by enthusiastic farmers in the
Hohenlohe district, although numbers were down to only seven breeding sows and two boars by 1984. The breed today has a high reputation amongst gourmets, having a darker meat and strong, distinctive flavour. Since 1998, Swabian-Hall pork (''Schwäbisch-Hällisches Qualitätsschweinfleisch'') is a name with
Protected Geographical Status
Three European Union schemes of geographical indications and Traditional food, traditional specialties, known as protected designation of origin (PDO), protected geographical indication (PGI), and traditional specialities guaranteed (TSG), promo ...
in the
European Union
The European Union (EU) is a supranational political and economic union of member states that are located primarily in Europe. The union has a total area of and an estimated total population of about 447million. The EU has often been des ...
; only pigs coming from the
Swabian Hall, Hohenlohe, and some adjacent districts can be sold under that name. There are now only around 1500 sows registered to this breed. All of these are from farms belonging to the ''Farmer Producer Association of Swabian Hall'' (''Bäuerliche Erzeugergemeinschaft Schwäbisch Hall''), who implement an inspection regime which strictly controls the quality of feed given to the animals. The ''Swabian-Hall Breeders Association'' (''Züchtervereinigung Schwäbisch Hällisches Schwein'') was formed (2077) before the Producers Association (1607) but the farmer is now a subsidiary of the latter.
Parade Cannstatter Volksfest
Traditionally a parade also takes place at the Wasen.The most important activities of the festival had been the award for breeding performance and the display of agricultural efficiency of the Württemberg farmers. The crossbreeding of Hohenlohe region and the area around the town of Schwäbisch Hall, the Mohrenköpfle is a pig in the parade . There are still groups in traditional clothes, which have taken part in the festival since 1841. No Piercings und Tattoos. Women: no long open hairs.
Stuttgart, the state capital of Baden Württemberg, will celebrate a quite special double jubilee together with the federal state in 2018 – 200 years Cannstatter Volksfest and the 100th “Landwirtschaftliches Hauptfest” – by holding a Historical Volksfest in the heart of the city.
Historical Volksfest 2018
Gallery
file:Ferkel.jpg,
file:Sh-landschweine.jpg,
References
{{reflist
Pig breeds originating in Germany
Animal breeds on the GEH Red List