Carolyn Jung of the Mercury News, on why 2007 is a good year for pork:
Foodies have long found today's conventionally raised pork too dry and flavorless to swallow. Many of them now seek out heritage breeds to deliver the full-on porky flavor they've been missing. Just as discriminating Americans learned to zero in on Kobe and Wagyu breeds for top-quality, ultra-marbled beef, so, too, are they now gravitating toward Berkshire and Duroc breeds for exceptional pork.
Although the National Pork Board has no firm figures on how large this niche pork market is, it is one that is definitely growing.
"The kind of short-lived trend of thinking leanness meant health and quality led to the pig being ostracized somewhat," says Patrick Martins, co-founder of New York's Heritage Foods USA, which sells artisanal products from small farms. "But the desire for taste, and the understanding that all things are good in moderation, has led to a renaissance of pork in the United States."
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