# Regional Varieties of Breeds

The conquering Magyars brought with them domestic animal species that were able to stand up to wandering, constant grazing, and, in general, extensive husbandry. However, through the years, especially from the 18th and 19th centuries on, and in accordance with changing economic circumstances, these mixed to a considerable degree with and eventually were completely replaced by breeds that came partly from the west, partly from the south, and were better fitted to new demands. Historical perspective can be got today by evaluating the bones of domestic animals resulting from renewed excavations, especially in recent times.

The most valued domestic animal of the Magyars was the horse, the value of which is shown by the practice of burying the horse’s head and four legs by the side of the Magyar warrior. In many cases the saddle was also put into the grave. These horses were low in the withers, had relatively small heads, and powerful tendons. They withstood hunger and fatigue very well. However, through time, the horse stock changed significantly as the result of Italian, Arabian, and later on, various western influences. The Székely and the parlagi (scrub) horse, which survived on certain parts of the Great Plain until the recent past, best preserved the build of body and the endurance of the early Magyar type.

The grey Hungarian horned cattle show many ancient features even at the present day (cf. Ill. 98). The greyish white animal, high at the withers and with enormous horns, was first of all an important source of draught power, but valued also because of its fine quality meat, and was readily bought at western markets during the Middle Ages. This breed gave relatively little milk, but the milk was high in fat content. It was undemanding, in the winter living on the most scanty fodder. In Transylvania there is a breed of it somewhat smaller but otherwise possessing similar characteristics. Equivalents can be looked for in the direction of the great Russian steppes. The riska is smaller bodied but {247.} gives much more milk than the previously mentioned cattle and was primarily kept in the southern part of Transdanubia. It supposedly came to Hungary from the Balkans. From the 18th century, when the value of milk increased, various western breeds, primarily Swiss, were brought to the large estates. These eclipsed the older breeds and, through crossbreeding, created new species.

The Hungarian sheep (juh) actually belongs to the racka variety (cf. Ill. 126). Two types existed, one in the Great Plain, the other in Transylvania. A characteristic of the former is the twisting, upward growing horn, equal in length on both ram and ewe. Its long wool is especially suited for the weaving of strong, durable cloth, and its prepared skin for sheepskin coats. The Transylvanian variety is related to ones in Moldavia. The twisted horn of the ram stretches in two directions almost horizontally. Among the various regional species the scrub sheep, which already may have been indigenous to this area before the Conquest, still survived in the 17th century. From the 18th century, the merino, ultimately Spanish in origin, and giving much finer wool, pushed out the older species, at first on the estates of the landlords and later from the pastures of the peasants as well.

The ancient species of the pig disappeared almost without a trace and even faster than other kinds of livestock. These were mostly long-legged, reddish-coloured animals, noteworthy for their undemanding nature. We know two varieties: the szalontai, or by another name red pigs, which lived primarily in the swamps of the Great Plain and was driven into the oak forest only in the winter; and the bakonyi, which is its variant in the mountain region of Bakony. During the second half of the 18th century a breed called milos spread from the Balkans. A special type developed in the Carpathian Basin, the mangalica, in which the presence of the breeds that had lived in Hungary earlier can also be discovered. This is primarily a lard producing pig. Its light coloured hair is curly, and it can be raised outdoors and easily driven long distances. We can observe its disappearance during the last decades, its place having been taken by the English meat producing pig.

The most faithful helper of the herdsmen is the dog, among the breeds of which the komondor is most important. This sheepdog not only kept the stock together, but with its mate also beat back the attacks of wolves. The word itself is Cumanian in origin, which perhaps can throw light on the origin of the dog; that it is primarily kept in the Great Plain also supports this theory. The kuvasz is similar in build but somewhat smaller. It occurs primarily in Transylvania and in the more southern regions, and its homeland might be looked for in the Balkans. Today the puli is the best known Hungarian sheepdog. Its predominantly black, shaggy coat and small size differentiate it basically from the others above.

The donkey is the helper of the shepherd, used first of all for travelling and for hauling goods (cf. Plate VIII). The bison is typically a powerful animal that gives little but thick milk. It is mentioned in records from the Middle Ages on and occurred in large numbers only in Southern Transdanubia and in Transylvania (cf. Ill. 134 and Plate X).

The keeping of domestic fowl (chicken, goose, duck, turkey, guinea {248.} fowl, etc.) was always general among the Hungarian peasants, but while caring for the former animals was the duty of men, taking care of the latter was always a job for the women.