High in the Aldudes Valley of the Basque Country, a herd of black‑and‑white pigs grazes beneath oak and chestnut trees. These are the Pie Noir Basque pigs, once on the brink of extinction and now the pride of charcutier Pierre Oteiza.

   When Pierre learned in the late 1980s that only a handful of these animals remained, he bought two at a Paris trade fair and returned them to their ancestral hills. With patience and stubborn optimism he helped form a breeders’ association and a cooperative ham‑drying facility, leading a revival that saved the breed. Today his family’s farm remains privately held and is devoted to raising pigs using traditional Basque practices.

The pigs live almost exactly as their ancestors did—roaming forests and mountain pastures, eating wild herbs, chestnuts, acorns, beechnuts and organic cereals

Slow growth and a varied diet produce meat that is marbled, sweet and deeply flavourful. This commitment to time and place extends to the kitchen. In the charcuterie, ancestral techniques are followed: blood sausages are seasoned with onions and Espelette pepper, then cooked and packed in tins; white puddings blend lean and fatty cuts for a delicate texture; pork shanks are gently slow‑cooked until the gelatin turns silky. Fresh cuts—loin chops, neck, belly, cheeks and trotter—highlight the range of the whole animal. Coarse terrines, rillettes and cured sausages showcase the versatility of Kintoa meat, while pickled garlic flowers and Ossau‑Iraty sheep’s cheese round out the Basque pantry.