The or Basque, , is a breed of

pig The pig (''Sus domesticus''), also called swine (: swine) or hog, is an omnivorous, domesticated, even-toed, hoofed mammal. It is named the domestic pig when distinguishing it from other members of the genus '' Sus''. Some authorities cons ...

native to the Basque Country. As suggested by its name in French, the breed is

piebald A piebald or pied animal is one that has a pattern of unpigmented spots (white) on a pigmented background of hair, feathers or scales. Thus a piebald black and white dog is a black dog with white spots. The animal's skin under the white backg ...

, black and pink. What is today called the Basque pig is one of several historical breeds or breed types kept by Basque peoples, and it was consolidated under the name only in the 1920s. Though they were relatively common in the early 20th century, Basque pigs had nearly disappeared by 1981, with fewer than 100 breeding sows left. Today, the breed is preserved by small farmers in France and Spain who are dedicated to traditional Basque foods. Basque pigs grow more slowly and develop more fat than modern breeds like the

Large White ''Pieris brassicae'', the large white, also called cabbage butterfly, cabbage white, cabbage moth (erroneously), or in India the large cabbage white, is a butterfly in the family Pieridae. It is a close relative of the small white, '' Pieris ra ...

, making them less well-suited to intensive commercial meat production, but ideal for the creation of cured pork products such as Bayonne ham. Basque sows have smallish litters of about nine young, but have a strong maternal instinct and are good mothers.

References

Pig breeds Basque domestic animal breeds {{pig-stub