Village Life: Butchering an Entire Pig

Raising and butchering home-raised pigs is a tradition here in Hungary. In previous generations, families - especially the male folk - tended to gather and help each other out when it came time to slaughter and prepare the animals; this usually took place in the late fall or early winter. Though the practice is declining around the country, rural families still raise and butcher their own livestock, primarily pigs.

​For example, many oldtimers in my village still keep pigs, cows, goats, sheep, ducks, and chickens for food. I don't own any farm animals myself, but I could easily make it happen as the house I purchased here in Fertőendred came complete with a chicken coop, rabbit hutches, a small barn, several pens, and all the paraphernalia needed to raise, slaughter, and prepare a variety of livestock.  

Anyway, this past weekend a friend invited me to help him butcher an entire pig he had purchased from a local farmer in the village. Though we did not have to kill the pig ourselves, we had to do everything else including cleaning and quartering the animal. We spent the rest of the day cutting up the meat and making sausages, salted ham and bacon, headcheese, and crackling. By the time we were finished, we had prepared enough pork to last my friend's family through the winter.

It was a great experience, made all the more enjoyable by the the playful banter the free flowing pálinka and wine inspired. By way of thanks, my friend gifted me with some of the meat we had prepared, ensuring my own family savors a taste of fresh pork as the late autumn slowly turns to early winter. I'm seriously considering organizing a pig butchering party of my own for next year.