Felix barged into the Mystical dorm room in a flurry of excitement. He rushed toward Orak and said, “Orak! Let’s go to Perranwell in Cornwall!”
Orak looked up from his book with a glazed expression. It didn’t take much to get buried in ‘The Book of Everything’ but it sure wasn’t easy to return to the real world. He said, “Where is that and why should we go to Perranwell?”
“It’s in the United Kingdom (UK)! A farmer from the area has brought back a rare breed of pigs back from extinction!” said Felix.
“Whoa! Give us more information please!” said Verum.
“Michelle Burley-Hodge is a 40-year-old farmer from Perranwell. Her 85-year-old grandmother would narrate the stories of a hairy pig that use to walk around in their village,” said Felix, “But the pig breed called Lincolnshire curlycoat had since become extinct.
Unfortunately, Burley-Hodge couldn’t save this particular breed. But she decided to join a group of farmers who were trying to save a pig breed called Mangalitza. This huge wooly and wild breed is originally from a country called Hungary. Over the years, the population of these pigs has grown from 10 to 50 in the UK!”
“But what is so special about this breed?” said Scorch.
“As you know, pigs are an important source of meat for many people. While it takes longer to rear Mangalitza pigs for meat, the meat itself tastes different. It is quite fatty but it’s a good kind of fat according to Burley-Hodge,” explained Felix, “Now, even famous chefs have begun using this meat in their dishes.
But there is more! Mangalitza pigs are quite hardy. The farmers don’t have to worry about them eating different things or getting sunburnt. That’s why they were also sent to places like Canada and Japan. In fact, in the United States (US), a Mangalitza pig was attacked by a bear. Guess what? It fought back and was fine! Isn’t that cool?”
“Wow, that’s one brave piggy,” said Orak, “Let’s go take a look!”