Dierendonck

Story of tradition, passion and innovation

“When you love what you do 100% and are very passionate and proud of your profession, then you’re always on the lookout for something different, something better, something innovative. It may seem strange that you have to look to the very distant past for this, as a butcher or a breeder, and yet that is the reality. You need to take a step back, reset, to rebuild something.” That was the idea behind Dierendonck’s adventure with the Menapian pig. A quest to find the Flemish primeval pig. This journey started two years ago, with the help of the pig breeder Ruben Brabant, who he joined forces with to bring back this ancient breed of halfwild, half-domesticated pig, which in the past was found in the forest and prized during the Roman Empire for its meat. The name is derived from the Menapians, a peasant tribe that lived around 50 BC in northern Gaul, in the region that is known today as West Flanders, East Flanders and Zeeland Flanders.