BREEDS APART - Strauss Brands | Beef, Lamb, VealMuteperfect poultry: aRbode Island Red. Photo by...
Transcript of BREEDS APART - Strauss Brands | Beef, Lamb, VealMuteperfect poultry: aRbode Island Red. Photo by...
BREEDS APARTFOOD BIZ CHEFS ARE ONCE AGAIN LEADING THE CHARGE FOR IMPROVING FLAVOR PROFILES-
THIS TIME IN THE REVIVAL OF BERKSHIRE PORK, RED BOURBON TURKEYS, AND OTHER STRAINS OF ANIMALS
RAISED AT A TIME WHEN TASTE WAS WHAT MATTERED MOST. KATY KEIFFER REPORTS.
Heritage breeds, OMG, therate so trendy right now. It's Berkshire
pork, or more exciting, the Red Wattle, the Tamworth, Red
Bourbon turkeys, or Buff Orpington chickens... belted Galloway
cattle or Limousin veal. With romantic names like these, no
wonder they're all over menus. However, there's much morc at
stake here than JUSt promoting the next big thing. The revival of
"heritage breeds,~ perhaps an already overworn term, is part of a
fundamental change in our food culture. As always, this movement
is being driven by chefs and will prove invaluable for all meat eaters,
no matter where they are dining.
heritage breed pigs, he's a staunch supporter of the importance of
maintaining the breeding stock of all the herirage breeds so that
essential qualities are not lost in the rush to make a buck.
Many heritage breeds, such as the Red \'Qattle pig, the Buckeye
chicken, or the Pineywoods cow are very close to extinction, thanks
to the economic dictates ofthe commercial marketplace. Identifying
and preserving the desirable characteristics of specific breeds have
helped to revive interest in them among farmers and consumers.
Fernando Maillo of the venerable Serrano ham company Monte
Nevado, went in search of a smaller ham to create a gift-sized
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Animal breeds have always been selected for specific traits such as
yielding better bacon, more marbling, or larger size carcasses. Most
commercial protein producers already breed for what they consider
the ideal traits. Typically those include rapid growth, prolific
breeding, and hardy constitutions. In the face of the economics
of raising commercial protein, flavor is often very low on this list
of desirable qualities. The metamorphosis of pork from succulent
and tasey is a perfect example of the unfortunate consequences of
breeding for a single dominant trait, such as leaner meat.
Commercial hog farming, or what Paul Willis of Niman Ranch
calls "chickenizing the pork business," really picked up speed in the
1980s and '90S with concentrated animal feeding operations, or
CAFOs, though confinement was certainly not new. Willis started
raising his pigs outside as they had been for centuries. Then, he
began experimenting with genetics, taking different qualities from
different hogs in order to improve the key characteristics of flavor
and texture, as well as advantageous qualities such as big litters,
good maternal instincts, and rapid growth. Though he docs not sell
"
product for the ham-loving Spaniards. In Hungary he discovered
the Mangalica, an ancient breed that had nearly disappeared. He
arranged to have Hungarian farmers produce the breed in numbers
sufficient for his needs. The Mangalica almost perfectly resembles
the very large lberico, save for a more petite size, so the hams are
little, just right for agift. Aperfect example ofhow a specific genetic
quality served a specific consumer need and revived a dying breed.
Heath Putnam of Wooly Pigs is breeding and selling Mangalica
pigs in Auburn, Washington. His breeding stock is now being sold to
other producers, who then supply restaurants. Because the Mangalica
is a very fatty pig, it lends itself to cured products in a way that the
Yorkshire pig, one of the most common breeds here, does not. The
ability to work with the pigas charcuterie makes it more economical.
The Mangalica also yields a delicious medium-rare roasted loin and
a braised leg or shoulder, according to chef Michael Clampffer
at Mosefund Farm, a private equine facility in Branchville, New
Jersey. Clampffer recently hosted a tasting of Putnam's Mangalica.
Mosefund Farm, which is now raising its own herd of Mangalica, is
FOOD ARTS APRIL2009
Mute perfect poultry: a Rbode Island Red. Photo by Robert Oowilng/Corbls.
the brainchild of investment banker Chris Anderson, who dedded
to set out to find and breed a pig that he and omers could truly enjoy
eating. He contracted with Heath [0 buy MangaIicaand raise them in
NewJersey, making them more accessible to the local chef culrure.
Gilbert Burler, president of Burler Capital .Management,
has also gonen into rhe game of preserving rare breeds. Deeplyinvolved in environmental causes on many fronts, Burler maintains
the sustainably correct Potato Hill Farm near Utica, New York.
Among other animals, he has a herd of Welsh Black Mountain
sheep, an endangered breed. Though his herd is small, he sells the
exceptionally tasty lamb to Patrick Martins of Heritage Foods,
who then gets it into the hands of chefs such as Daniel Boulud."We lose money on them, but we want [0 show the people who
come to the farm how animals should be living," Burler reports.
However, his mission, to educate youth on environmental causes
and to suppOrt specialty breeds, is served on POtatO Hill Farm.Heritage breeds playa key role in the continued and future
success of our food chain by preserving genetic traits that would
otherwise be forever lost with the breed's extinction. The American
Livestock Breed Conservancy is dedicated to helping farmers get
back to the "genetic package" that initially defined a breed. It's
crucial to understand and reproduce the original specimen in orderto use it effectively as a breeding tool. As Marjorie Bender of the
ALBC put it, "Paul Willis knows that he wants some pieces of this,
and some of that, and he puts them together in a very thoughtful
way. His crosses bring in good flavor and hybrid vigor, which is the
strength you get from putting together opposite characteristics."
It's much like heirloom vegetables where farmers want to get
as close to the "original" as possible, but at the same time not findthemselves with product that is ustrained through the sheets" as
they used to say about royalry. Ifthe gene pool is toO small, one seesthe inherent weaknesses of inbreeding such as: inferior spedmens,
weakness, vulnerability to disease, not so good at reproducing,
much like the Hapsburgs. Or to take a more ag-specific example,
consider genetically modified grains that require special pesticides
since their natural antibodies no longer function.
FOOD ARTS APR1L2009
Among restaurant chefs, however, the selection of protein is
frequently based on the dominant flavor trait of a specific breed.
Bender is happy to see that "chefs are discovering the flavors
specific to each breed." Fostering those connections is Chefs
Collaborative, an organization that, among other activities, helps
chefs connect with farmers producing these breeds.Seamus Mullen of Boqueria in New York City, serves a
"pancetta," a square of roasted fat with a narrow streak of meat.
Which pig delivers that high fat content? Among others, the
Ossabaw Island pig. You might wonder as you prepare to dig in,
"Does it come with a defibrillator? Can I order a side of Lipiror?"
Why would anyone want to eat this? Well, because it's delicious
light and creamy in a totally unexpected way, with a delectable,
slightly sticky caramelized skin. And, as it turns out, nutritionally
it is by no means the bomb you might expect.The quality ofthe fat from these naturally raised heritage breeds
is high in omega-) fatty acids, and thus has a lower cholesterol
footprint. Grass-fed and free-range animals in general are much
healthier for human consumption in all sorts of ways, including
being very high in conjugated lutein acids, a known antioxidant,
as well as boasting much higher vitamin and protein counts. As
Martins of Heritage Foods points out, "Raised indoors, those
genetics do not manifest. Part ofthe components for "heritage" are
the protocols of how they're raised. We should be looking for both,not just genetics divorced from free-range or vice versa."
Inconsistent and inaccurate labeling of breeds has become
a serious problem in the marketing of heritage breeds and is
being addressed by the ALBC and by companies such as Allen
Brothers in Chicago. Todd Hatofr, presidenr of AJlen Brothers,
is adamant about the proper genetic labeling of animals and has
taken numerous steps to ensure that what he sells is exactly what
he says it is. To that end he took the initiative to source sustainablemeadow-raised veal with a specific list of qualities he can count on.
Thanks to a long-sranding relationship with the Wisconsin-based
Strauss Family brand, the two companies entered into a partnership
to produce a heritage-based, sustainably raised veal calf.
Over a period of several years, the Strauss Familyexperimemed
with different strains and crosses in their cattle until they found the
ideal qualities of tenderness and flavor that had largely disappeared
from commercial veal. Together, the Strauss Family and Allen
Brothers have agreed on a proprietary genetic mix that musr include
at least 50 percent of an ancient French breed called Limousin.
According to Lori Dunn, executive director of Pasture RaisedPrograms at Strauss Family, the Limousin cow is a breed dating back
,6,000 years. It's the original "fatted calf," and the Strauss Family
"ensures through a rigorous series of protocols that these animals
are raised as they were hundreds of years ago, on pasture, eating
grass, and nursing. There are no confinement pens." Strauss has
producers all over the country working with this set of protocols,giving them a year-round supply.
Bender notes that breeds should be identified by their names.
"Heritage has to have historicallengrh in the United States for it to
be heritage, or it's a misnomer. If it's Pineywoods cattle, then call it
that. And it must come from purebred stock."The ALBC is trying
to provide the consumer and chefs with something they can rely
on. "The name must be a guarantee of pedigreed stock."
Lastly there's the economic piece to this puzzle, and that is the
hardest to slot into place. Dan Barber of Blue Hill in New York
City and Blue Hill at Stone Barns in Pocantico Hills, New York,
raised some ~heritage" breed chickens, but it tOok twice as long
from egg to table, more than doubling their cost. He went back
to a hybrid, the Cornish Cross that was developed by the poultry
giant Tyson. Why? Because when this hybrid is raised outdoors on
natural forage, grass, seeds, and insects, it's delicious. As Barber
tells it, ~Chefs bring to the table a Story about the chicken or the
pig or the cattle in terms of history and breed. That allows people
to consider that they're paying for better Ravor, husbandry, and
lineage to justify the higher price. But as a chef you don't want to
be on the side of the fence that advocates S50 birds; it's very elitist.
You have to balance that with feeding the population as a whole."
Mullen justifies his use of heritage breed pigs by wasting
absolutely nothing. He buys the entire animal and is able to
butcher and process its various componentS into products that
work in the context of Spanish cuisine, which uses pork in many
almOSt half ofwhat we produce toJapan," Theiller says. But he also
notes that, though Snake River has further plans to expand their
distribution, ~Our products will never be mainStream due to costs.
The consumer who is looking for that type of product will find us
and pay the premium price."
Like Snake River, other small- to medium-sized farmers are
recognizing that there is a growing public willing to pay a premium
price for an outStanding experience. John Ubaldo of John Boys
Mountain View Farm in Cambridge, New York, raises a variery
of specialty breed chickens, such as the Rhode Island Red, the
Barred Rock, and the Araucana, along with his Berkshire pigs. "I
like to stick with heritage breeds for Ravor and meat quality as in
my Berkshires. They all take longer to raise, breed, et cetera, but I
believe the Ravor and texture are unmatched."
Bev Eggleston, who runs Eco Friendly Foods in Moneta,
VLrginia, brought up a key point in the relationship between chefs
and farmers. "\'Qe're asking chefs to buy and organize and facilitate
farmers and processors before they need it. Can you order the
cow or pig a little further in advance? If chefs can give us letters
of intent, contractual agreements, or deposits, that will help us
to expand. Hey, it takes two years to grow a cow!" Letting fanners
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different forms. Keith Luce at The Herbfarm in Woodinville,
\X!ashington, who is raising Mangalica, points out, "The number of
prime cuts, chops, loin, and tenderloin from one animal is a very
small percentage of the total protein that animal produces."
Martins says, "The chefs' challenge is to make all the cutS
accessible financially. Better use of product makes it easier to pay
for the higher cost of animal husbandry."
Jay Theiler of Snake River Farms in Idaho is fostering the
breeding of the Berkshire pig, also known as the Kurobuta in
Japan. ~The Berkshire," he says, ~do not grow as fast and produce
one or two fewer piglets per litter. They arc not a breed to raise on
a commodity basis because of lower birth I"3tes and lower carcass
weights. And they spend 10 to 15 percent more time on feed than
commercial pig breeds."
Americans are so fixated on the middle meats-steaks, chops,
and hams-that much of the animal cannot be sold here. "\Ve sell
FOOOARl'S APRIL200? ..
know what to expect will help them build a herd, both in numbers
as well as in the characteristics chefs are looking for.
Eggleston also mentions that, unlike commercial producers, when
he makes a delivery he spends some time with the front of the house
doing a Q&A with the servers. Educating servers helps them educate
their custOmers. If restaurants are truly committed to supporting
local agriculture, then they must be able to explain to their cuStomers
why they must pay more for it. Understanding and effectively
communicating that relationship is key to making the sale.
Chefs and operators have an exciting opportunity now to
propel food, and especially protein, into new territory with
consumers. After many years of dozing at the SWitch, consumers
are recognizing that husbandry and agricultural practices have a
direct impact on their health and their environment. That mandate
includes protecting and fostering our agricultural heritage for the
generations to follow. •