(Porci Bazna, Basner, Romanian Saddleback)
THESE PIGS ARE RARE AND THEY ARE GRADUALLY DISAPPEARING. Bazna is a Romanian pig breed named after the eponymous small municipality in the district of Sibiu. In the 19th century, Bazna breed was crossed with Mangalica, then with Berkshires, and the result is a breed of pig that we know today.
The pigs have black skin and a typical white band that fully circles the trunk at shoulder-height. Their neck is short, thick, and wide, the trunk is almost round, while the back legs are well developed, although they are not especially thick. The meat has great fat that is very oily and rich in lipoprotein (also known as "good" cholesterol).
It is traditionally aged in attics where it undergoes a light smoking method achieved by small openings in the chimneys of traditional houses. Although there is a number of processed products (bacon, pork rinds, lard) coming from Bazna pigs, cured pork fat is one of the most popular types due to its sweetness, texture, and porcelain-white color.
Unfortunately, most producers did not pay much attention to preserving the breed’s purity, so the genetic characteristics have been lost over time due to many crosses with other pig breeds and wild boars roaming in the area. Apart from this problem, Bazna pigs can’t be kept enclosed, making them unsuitable for industrial farming, which is the reason for their gradual disappearance.
