Romagnola Pigs, Montetortore, Emilia-Romagna
Alfredo Chiarappa
Stop me if you’ve heard this story before: Mora romagnola pigs once dominated the hills of Ravenna in central Italy, twenty-two thousand fiesty, black-haired beasts known for their abundance of sweet fat. But the menace of modernity reduced that number dramatically until just fifteen remained at the dawn of the twenty-first century. Cue the food fighters: a small handful of farmers set about reviving the romagnola, determined not to let the quick-fattening white pig favored by industrial farms crowd out an important native species. Beppe and Emanuel Ferri of Ca Lumaco are father-and-son pig farmers dedicated to raising the wily heritage breed exclusively. Three hundred and fifty pigs roam freely through their forests, fattening on a diet of acorns and chestnuts and mountain grasses. A good life and a noble afterlife: these prized pigs make some of the finest prosciutto, coppa, and lardo in Italy.