Pig farming has been
a common activity in the Basque Country since the time of the Celts.
In the
past, the three most common native breeds were the Baztanesa, the Chato
Vitoriano (now both extinct) and the Euskal Txerria (whose name means simply
“Basque pig”). In 1237, the King
of Navarre decided to demand a fifth of every herd of this breed of pig in
exchange for the farmers being allowed to graze their pigs in the royal
mountains in the autumn.
The tax was commonly known as “kintoa,” from “quinta,”
meaning “fifth,” which eventually became the name of this area, particularly
suited to pig farming.
The Basque pig has strongly built limbs, a silky coat with
large black spots, a black head and rump, a convex back and large fat ears
hanging over its eyes. It has a very docile temperament and grows slowly,
putting on around 300 grams a day (in contrast, a commercial hybrid can grow a
kilo a day on average).
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