A lot of sites have pointed to the research reports of recent work to create pigs that are high in omega-3 fatty acids which seem to be good for human mental and physical health, especially for those getting a bit long in the tooth. There's also the constant susurus of semi-informed quasi-environmentalist opprobrium about pork in general and factory farmed pork in particular. When you add in the religious and food fetishist squick about meat in general and pork in particular it's a paradox of sorts that genetically engineered pigs might come to be health food.

For those who are not infected with any of the above named fetishes, those who relish pork and eat it with discernment, there are other issues. The problem with modern pig production for them isn't so much the common worries about the environment or fantasies of sustainability, it's that the meat of standard factory pig lacks aesthetic qualities they cherish. In an article in a Heritage Foods USA newsletter Anne Brockhoff notes:

Meat from heritage breeds like Berkshire, Duroc, Gloucester Old Spot, Large Black, Tamworth and Red Wattle tastes good. Really good.

"The breeds are extremely flavorful, especially when compared to other pork," says Dan Swinney, executive chef at Lidia's Kansas City.

Heritage pork tastes nothing like "the other white meat." It's juicier, a deeper red and, well, just porkier. And that's exactly what will save the breeds from extinction, says Todd Wickstrom, co-founder of Heritage Foods USA, formerly the marketing and sales arm of Slow Food USA, which is dedicated to preserving local foods and culinary traditions.

Chefs might buy heritage pork once because they're concerned about sustainability, biodiversity or the future of the family farm. They'll buy it again because it tastes good, creating a market incentive for producers to keep raising more of these special animals.

"When you want to save a panda, the best way to do that is to put it in a zoo. But if you want to save the Red Wattle pig or the American Bronze turkey, the best way is to eat them. . .

Each breed is distinct, but they all take six to eight weeks longer than their conventional counterparts to reach market weight. Their meat has a finer grain, so it holds moisture better and is more highly marbled. That means there's more intramuscular fat, which is a good thing, says Mario Fantasma, a butcher who runs Paradise Locker Meats, with wife Teresa, and sons Louis and Nick.

"That's where all the flavor comes from," Fantasma says.

Heritage Foods farmers adhere to strict production standards. That means pigs are raised on pasture or in pens with deep bedding and outdoor access. It means they eat feed that's free of animal by-products and grow-stimulating antibiotics or additives. It means pigs live like pigs.

There's no rational reason that these heritage breeds couldn't be hacked to be omega-3 pigs too, but it probably won't happen. Advocates sound sort of rational when they cite advantages that justify their preferences, but they aren't. People pay 2 to 4 times as much for heritage meats in part because they are heritage meats. If they were just as wonderful to eat but were altered to be healthful they'd back away, or at least decline to pay the stiff premiums for the product since they'd be cheated out of their illusions.

Some have asked in comments about where they can get some of the foods I praise. I usually urge them to buy local, but if what you want is super food that gets it all correct - proper production of proper cultivars and breeds, with proper handling and all the snob appeal one could wish for, then take out a second mortgage and try Heritage Foods USA.