Chorney-Booth: Eh Farms’ red Mangalitsa pork wins the hearts of local chefs

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Just outside of a tidy barn on her Eh Farms east of the city near Strathmore, Christina Stender is standing in front of a relatively small adult pig — named Tina Tina, due to her diminutive stature — with a bag of treats, politely asking the animal to sit. It’s well known that, as far as barnyard animals go, pigs are pretty smart, and Tiny Tina looks up at Stender with what seems to be an expression of affection, dutifully sits her hind end in the grass, and accepts her treat, along with Stender’s singing words of praise.

It’s clear Stender loves her pigs. That care and gentle touch is part of why a growing number of Calgarians love to eat the resulting meat (don’t fear — Tiny Tina, who Stender keeps as a pet, is safe from harvest).

Stender has been raising rare red furry Mangalitsa pigs on her farm since 2016, selling directly to customers and keen chefs looking for something special to serve their guests. Mangalitsa is a Hungarian breed, known for producing pigs with woolly coats and deliciously fatty red-hued meat. On the farm, the animals are glee-inspiring, cuddly-looking creatures. On the plate, the meat is so rich in flavour and fat, it is often mistaken for premium beef. In fact, Mangalitsa is often called the “Kobe beef” of pork, and it only takes a bite or two to understand why.

“The meat has a bit of a sweet side to it, but that’s also because of how they’re fed and raised,” Stender says. “There’s a 70 per cent fat-to-meat ratio. The flavour is quite different and people often don’t even realize it’s pork.”

Stender studied agriculture and animal science at the University of Guelph, and she and her husband, Andy, long dreamed of moving to their own farm. With her warm personality and infectious enthusiasm, it’s not surprising that Stender wanted to do something unique with her farm, and she set her sights on becoming the first Canadian importer of red Mangalitsas. Her initial breeding pair, Zsa Zsa and Hampton, started pumping out cute little piglets.

Today, Stender keeps about 65 pigs on the farm, harvesting them no more than two or three a month so she can provide her customers with the freshest meat possible. It’s a relatively small and intentionally slow operation — Stender’s Mangalitsas spend about two years on the farm, as opposed to conventional pork, which heads off to slaughter well before the one-year mark. This means Stender might not always have the cuts or volume her customers want, but she’s running her farm in a way that is respectful of the heritage of her pigs, as well as her own peace of mind.

“It’s a lot of hands-on work and a lot of planning,” she says. “One of the perks of raising Mangalistas is that the older they are, the better the meat. It’s a little harder on my pocketbook, but two years is the youngest I’ll harvest.”

While Stender has been at the Mangalista game for a while now — and she also raises small quantities of ducks, geese, chickens, and rabbits — Eh Farms has been enjoying a surge in cult status among Calgary’s finest restaurants. Stender notes it can take time for a chef to truly understand the potential of cooking with Mangalista and to get used to the fluctuating availability of her product, but once they get on board, there’s no looking back.

I had the pleasure of trying a succulent, slow-cooked Mangalista pork shoulder at a seasonal dinner at Bar Chouette, prepared by chef Duncan Ly this past spring and have been jonesing for another taste ever since. Eh Farms pork shows up on menus at restaurants like Maven, Salt and Brick, FinePrint, River Cafe and several others — this is a rare time when naming the farm on the menu truly sheds light on what customers will see on their plates. If you see it on a menu, it’s essential to catch it while you can.

While restaurants are building Eh Farms’ rock star status, Stender also sells her pork directly to regular people to cook at home. This includes common cuts like pork ribs, chops, and roasts as well as pigs’ feet and heads, containers of lard and cracklings, and smoked bacon and hams. Mangalista cooks a little differently than conventional pork (all that fat means you might want to keep it off the barbecue), but Stender has some recipes on her website to get Mangalista newbies started.

Beyond sheer deliciousness, Mangalista pigs are also outrageously cute with their curly red fur and little snouts. Stender offers farm tours to showcase her pigs and to help the public understand what makes Mangalistas so special and how much work goes into producing this extraordinary meat. If you’re lucky, you might get to meet a squealing piglet or two while you’re there.

For more information, to place an order, or to book a farm tour, visit ehfarms.ca.

Elizabeth Chorney-Booth can be reached at elizabooth@gmail.com. Follow her on Instagram at @elizabooth or sign up for her newsletter at hungrycalgary.substack.com.