Hungarian steppe cattle
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The Hungarian steppe cattle or Hungarian gray cattle , Hungarian (Magyar) Szürkemarha, Szilaj , is an old breed of domestic cattle from the Hungarian lowlands that is threatened with extinction . It belongs to the group of Podolian cattle and is particularly suitable for extensive grazing systems .
description
The Hungarian steppe cattle are slim, large-framed and long-legged. The height at the withers is 145 to 155 cm for the bull, 135 to 140 cm for the cow, the weight for the bull 800 to 960 kg, for the cow 500 to 600 kg. The cattle are robust, undemanding, easy-bearing and long-lived. The horns, which usually point straight up, are long, curved and spreading. Bulls can have horns up to 80 cm long.
colour
The coloring of the animals changes with the number of years of life. The calves are reddish-yellow after birth, with different degrees of shade from light to dark. At two to three months of age, the coat brightens and begins to turn gray. Between the fourth and sixth months they turn completely gray in color. In adult gray cattle, there are various shades from silver-white to ash-gray.
The male animals, the bulls, tend to be soot-colored by the age of three to four years. The neck, the lower part of the lower legs, part of the chest, the shoulder area, the chest and the side and bottom of the abdomen become darker. A very black color is not popular with breeders , but does not represent a defect. The male animals have a dark ring around the eyes, which is known as an "Ókula" ( eyepiece ).
At the root of the horn, the cows' longer hairs form a ring of hair, while the bulls are curly. The eyelashes as well as the extensions on the ears and the tail tassel are black. The skin is slate gray, pink only between the thighs, udder and ears.
The palate color can be either pink or slate gray and blotchy. When selecting breeding animals, individuals with a slate-gray palate are considered advantageous. The other color of the palate, or the blacker soot color in bulls, is due to the influence of other, for example Maremman races, and is therefore avoided by breeders. In this way they strive to preserve the uniform characteristics of the Hungarian steppe cattle.
The color of the coat can also change with the season. In winter the animals are darker and the fur contains more reddish-shaded hair. The protective outer coat is short, thick and straight in summer, but thick and long in winter. After the coat change in spring, the color is most beautiful.
Types
A distinction can be made between the following manifestations:
Primitive type
Characteristics: Underdeveloped, small body, low height at the withers When these characteristics occur, poor feed quality and inadequate living conditions play a role. Characteristic are the less harmoniously shaped horns and crooked structure of the leg bones.
Type with a coarse cheekbone
This variant is of great height at the withers, has a deep chest and long legs, which allows more lively movements.
Milk-producing type
These animals are small but well-formed and have thinner horns. The udder is more developed.
Large business type
Today the most common gray cattle are well-formed and often have patterned horns.
The preservation of the types serves in particular to preserve the genetic population.
Related breeds
There are many related breeds, the following of which are the most closely related:
Maremma beef
The Maremman cattle is a central Italian breed. It has a higher withers and is similar to the gray cattle in color, but is slightly darker in color. Between the two world wars and in the 1970s, the animals were used to refresh the population. Today these offspring are being phased out.
Transylvanian steppe cattle
This stocky and plump breed has been crossed with the Hungarian gray cattle many times over the years. Around 1800 breeders dealt with this breed and selected in the interest of meat production. However, some also placed value on milk production, which is reflected in the result of breeding. In the 1950s there was no longer any independent breeding and the breed disappeared in the mid-1960s.
Ukrainian steppe cattle
The Ukrainian steppe cattle have shorter horns than the Hungarian steppe cattle, but have the same coloration. However, the external appearance is not very homogeneous. According to some research, the breed has good potential as a milk producer, but this is not feasible in harsh environmental conditions. There are only a few specimens of this breed left in just one breed.
history
The Hungarian steppe cattle probably came in the 9th century with the immigration of Hungarians from their previous homeland in the east to the Hungarian lowlands. In the early modern times it was valued primarily for its meat, in the 19th century it made a career as a workhorse - also in Austria and Germany. A hundred years ago it went out of fashion. The record low was 187 cows and 6 bulls.
Cattle trade
The historical sources indicate an uninterrupted cattle trade between the 14th and 19th centuries.
In the 14th and 15th centuries there was a turning point in Western Europe, which was largely absent in the Eastern countries. With the development of trade, the role of cities gained in importance and serfs moved there en masse. The meat needs of the growing urban population were met with cattle exports from the eastern areas. The Hungarian steppe cattle found their way to Nuremberg , Augsburg , Munich and Ulm as well as to Italy and Moravia . This trade peaked in the 17th century with an estimated 100,000 cattle per year. In Nuremberg alone 70,000 animals were sold annually. They were able to prevail over competing species because of the high quality of their meat. In German cities, laws were passed that forbade the inclusion of other meat in meat banks as soon as Hungarian herds of cattle entered the market, so that the more expensive product could not be mixed with poorer quality.
Trade was not interrupted even during the Ottoman rule . The Ottomans also benefited from the cattle trade through tax revenues.
Much of the trade was in the hands of a rich class of traders, although the bourgeois farmers of the minor cities , such as large landowners, also had a share in it. This changed in 1622 when the Viennese court monopolized the cattle trade. As a result, according to a report by an imperial commissioner, there were no more gray cattle in Debrecen in 1695 . Although this was not the reality, the number of animals had decreased drastically. The last Nuremberg cattle market took place in 1713. In the previous centuries, however, the cattle trade was so important that the effect on Hungarian society and economy can still be seen today.
Desolation of villages and development of minor cities
In the 14th and 15th centuries there was extensive depopulation and desertification of many villages ( pusztásodás ) in Europe. In Hungary, too, economic and social factors as well as plagues led to the extinction of villages. This development began with the Tatar storm and accelerated under the Turkish rule. The inhabitants of small villages moved to larger settlements where they felt better protected. The fields that had previously been used for agriculture lay fallow and natural vegetation was slowly expanding again. In this way, large, uninhabited areas that could be used as pastures were formed, which were a prerequisite for cattle farming on a large scale, especially in the Hungarian lowlands ( Alföld ).
Since cattle breeding and trading were the most profitable branches of the economy during the Turkish occupation, this had a positive effect on the development in the corresponding settlements. The large farmers of the minor towns in Alföld continued to raise cattle and established trade relations with the West. Breeding in mighty herds aroused interest in cattle farming among tens of thousands of small farmers who lived in self-sufficiency . The wealthy minor cities and the village farmers played a major role in ensuring that the self-government of the Hungarian settlements was maintained during the Ottoman occupation. The surplus of income enabled independence from the landlords and the rise of minor towns such as Cegléd or Mezőtúr . In some cases like Debrecen and Kecskemét , larger cities developed. The independence of the minor towns and their economic strength also favored the spread of the Reformation in the Hungarian lowlands. The income from the cattle trade also played an important role in the fight against the Ottomans, as this ensured the supply of the soldiers. The income from cattle farming meant important income not only in the lowlands. The settlements along the trade routes also contributed to the income. The mighty herds, consisting of more than 1000 cattle, needed water and pasture on the way, which were made available to them at the settlements in return for a so-called “grass rent” ( fűbér ).
The travelers were supplied with provisions and drinks in taverns. These rest stops were about 12 to 14 kilometers apart, which is exactly the distance a herd could travel between feedings and waterings. About 20 to 40 acres of land were given to them free of charge. You had to pay for crossing rivers. Overall, it was a significant source of income. Between July 22, 1563 and March 9, 1564 alone, 30,428 cattle were herded through the port of Vác , which was on the main traffic route to Vienna and Germany. According to a report in the port book, all animals came from the lowlands. The royal treasury also increased a significant tax rate on revenue.
The settlements where cattle markets were held saw great advances over time. Important Hungarian cities were Győr and Sopron , which were on the trade route to Germany. Other important cities are Nagykanizsa , where the cattle trade flourished in the 30s and 40s of the 16th century, when the Kanizsa family drove the trade, which expanded into Italy and Styria .
In Győr, the cattle trade was of particular importance. When the city was liberated in 1598 after four years of Turkish rule and the refugee population returned, the cattle trade was one of the first activities with which the city recovered.
Heiducken, farmers and large landowners
The driving of the semi-wild animals was associated with protection from predators and predators. The so-called Heiducken were tried and tested in the fight against the Ottomans and after their retreat exchanged their mercenary work for services with the cattle herders. These military units organized themselves and certain ranks of their choice. They mainly made forays out and defended the shepherds.
Prince Stephan Bocskai moved some of them to his property. In times of war they fought for him and could gain freedom and be raised to the nobility. The cattle trade contributed to the emergence of a class of rich farmers and citizens. In Győr, for example, families who had become wealthy through trade were able to free themselves from their obligations to the landlords. Some also received titles of nobility. These families continued to participate in urban life. They formed civic communities and supported each other in the event of difficulties.
Large landowners like the Batthyány family in Kanizsa also took advantage of the boom in the cattle trade. Rulers like the Palatine Tamás Nádasdy also increased their wealth by buying, fattening and selling them. Prince Gábor Bethlen is considered to be the first large-scale cattle dealer in Transylvania . The poet and general Miklós Zrínyi financed his private army and the fight against the Ottomans with the income. He monitored the trade routes through his large holdings in Croatia and, despite the ban by the Viennese court, ran his own cattle markets. He also supported other trading families in resisting the Habsburgs .
The fortune and fame of the Thököly family goes back to Emmerich Thököly's great-grandfather , Sebesty Thököly, who became rich with cattle and wine trade. In 1572 he was knighted. Through the marriage of Zsuzsanna Dóczy in 1580, he became part of an aspiring family and in 1598 he was finally appointed baron.
Time after the end of wholesale
The cattle trade was still carried out in the 19th century, but agriculture was subject to major changes. The free range of animals collapsed in many places, instead the fields were increasingly plowed for the cultivation of wheat and forage crops. Due to the increased demand for milk and milk products, among the gray cattle there was greater demand for breeds that were selected for milk production and suitable for stable keeping.
Large-scale breeding of Hungarian steppe cattle came to an end in 1863 when a great drought set in and the pastures withered. After that, the number of animals never returned to the previous numbers. In the following time, the use of the steppe cattle changed. They were now used as draft animals for ox carts, for which a small population was sufficient. Reserves were established in the central part of the country as early as the 1880s .
After the First World War , when farming became increasingly machine-based, the need for cattle decreased even more and many herds were broken up. The global economic crisis meant a phase-wise reversal of this development, as more oxen were needed again. In 1931, the Magyar-marha Tenyésztők Egyesülete (Breeders Association of Hungarian Cattle) was founded, which again promoted breeding. In Seewinkel in Burgenland , which had belonged to Austria since 1921, the steppe cattle were also used as work animals.
After the Second World War , this work was stopped because, in the opinion of the decision-makers at the time, the animals were not competitive with modern breeds. By the mid-1960s, the number had reached a level that threatened the continued existence of the breed. Of the specimens that were kept sporadically, three state farms still had herds that comprised a total of 200 cows and six bulls. The current population is derived from these animals. In the 1970s the population began to increase. Most of the animals live in national parks.
In 1989, after a long period of preparation, the Magyar Szürke Szarvasmarhát Tenyésztők Egyesülete (Association of Breeders of Hungarian Steppe Cattle ) was founded, which today coordinates the breeding.
The breed owes its renewed distribution to the establishment of the transnational cultural landscape Fertő / Neusiedler See . Today the gray cattle also graze south of Apetlon and Illmitz in Seewinkel.
Today's meaning
After the emergence of BSE in Western Europe, only natural plant-based food was used to produce guaranteed BSE-free meat. The feed of the steppe cattle did not contain animal protein either in the past or in the present. As a result, the animals grow more slowly, but also have more massive and rich meat than other cattle. They are ready for slaughter at the age of 3 to 3.5 years, whereas this is achieved after 16 to 18 months for animals with intensive fattening.
The stock is also important for the gene bank today .
Cultural and historical significance
Apart from its importance for trade, the gray cattle played an important role in everyday life and in the harvesting work of the farmers. For example, glue was made from the bones , and instead of expensive wax, candles made from the tallow of the animals were used in peasant households .
Beef cut into small pieces was preserved by boiling in brine and then drying. This served the shepherds as food, which they kept in ventilated linen bags. When cooking, a handful of each was put into the kettle. This dish was probably a forerunner of goulash , of which Ferenc Erdei gave the following description:
Original quote:
“A szigorúan hagyományos gulyásfőzés technológiája az, ahogyan a gulyások főzték, ezért gulyás a neve. Ez adja a legízesebb marhahúslevet, s ez a legegyszerűbb főzési mód: a bográcsba egyszerre bele kell tenni a húst és a hagymát, hidegen hozzátenni a szükséges mennyiségű vizet, s feltenreni. Mindjárt bele lehet tenni a piros csövespaprikát, de sózni, paprikázni legjobb a felforrás után. És amikor már előrehaladt a hús puhulása, akkor kell hozzáadni a burgonyát, hogy egyszerre főjön meg a hússal. (...) Ám az így készält gulyás minden más marhahúslénél jobb ízű. Nem húslevesízű, nem is olyan, mint a paprikás, hanem a kettő között álló saját íze van. "
“The strictly traditional method of preparing goulash is how the shepherds (gulyás, -ok) cooked it, hence the name goulash. This gives the tastiest beef soup and is the easiest way to cook it: you have to put the meat and the onion in the kettle at the same time, add the necessary amount of cold water and put it on the fire. You can put the red pointed peppers in immediately, but only add salt and paprika after they have been boiled. And when the meat has already softened, you have to add potatoes so that they cook at the same time as the meat. (...) The goulash prepared in this way is also tasty with any other beef. It doesn't taste like meat soup, not even like paprikás [which is internationally known as goulash], but it has its own taste in between. "
In addition to the meat of the steppe cattle, the processed hide was also of great value. The Zrinski family's fortune comes partly from the sale of cowhide. The leather made by tanners was further processed by boot makers. The master craftsmen played a central role in the minor cities. The shepherds also processed the hides themselves in part and thus made their own everyday objects. These included simple garments, collar shoes , rucksacks and bags or leather strips that the gain of knife sheaths, bags for quartz stones (old Hungarian name: Kovako) or tobacco pouches served on a belt.
Since there are fewer trees in the Hungarian lowlands than in Transdanubia, the shepherds there rarely carried wooden objects with them. Instead of wood, the horn of gray cattle was often used as a material. It was easy to work with as it softens when heated. The shepherds put hot fodder beets or pumpkins over them to soak. Later they decorated the objects carved in this way, such as B. buttons, salt containers or doctor's instruments. Some of them also sold these objects.
literature
- A magyar szürke szarvasmarha. Szakmai kiadvány. Magyar Szürke Szarvasmarhát Tenyésztők Egyesülete, Budapest 1994.
- Tibor Bellon, Mihály Kútvölgyi: A magyar szürkemarha. Timp, Budapest 2001, ISBN 963-00-7761-2 (In German: Das Ungarische Graurind. Ibid 2001, ISBN 963-00-7765-5 ).
- Tibor Bellon: A Tisza néprajza. Ártéri gazdálkodás a tiszai Alföldön. Timp, Budapest 2003, ISBN 963-206-607-3 .
- Imre Bodó: Magyar szürke szarvasmarha. Hortobágyi Nemzeti Park Igazgatóság, Debrecen 1987 [! 1988], ISBN 963-02-5709-2 .
- Béla Hankó: A magyar háziállatok története ősidőktől máig. Művelt Nép Köyvkiado, Budapest 1954.
- János Matolcsi: Állattartás őseink korában. Gondolat Könyvkiadó, Budapest 1982, ISBN 963-281-146-1 .
- László Ferenc Novák: Az Alföld gazdálkodása. Állattenyésztés. = Traditional rural economy in the Great Hungarian Plain. Animal keeping (= Acta Musei de János Arany Nominati. Vol. 19, ISSN 0209-7184 ). Arany János Múzeum, Nagykőrös 2004, ISBN 963-7134 .
- János Tőzsér, Sándor Bedő: Történelmi állatfajtáink enciklopédiája. Mezőgazda Kiadó, Budapest 2003, ISBN 963-286-059-4 .
Web links
- Hungarian steppe cattle. FotoNatur.de, archived from the original on December 19, 2007 ; Retrieved December 19, 2008 (photos).
- Hungarian steppe cattle. Tiergarten Kleve, archived from the original on February 12, 2013 ; Retrieved December 19, 2008 .
- Magyar Szürke Szarvasmarhát Tenyésztők Egyesülete. Magyar Szürke Szarvasmarhát Tenyésztők Egyesülete, archived from the original on January 20, 2013 ; Retrieved December 19, 2008 (Hungarian).
- Neusiedlersee-Seewinkel National Park Steppenrind . Entry no. 26 in the register of traditional foods of the Austrian Federal Ministry for Agriculture, Regions and Tourism .
Individual evidence
- ↑ a b c d A magyar szürke szarvasmarha / Szakmai kiadvány
- ↑ a b c Dr. Bodó Imre: Magyar szürke szarvasmarha
- ↑ a b Hankó Béla: A magyar háziállatok története ősidőktől máig
- ↑ a b c d e f g h Bellon Tibor: A magyar szürkemarha
- ↑ entry pusztásodás in Magyar Néprajzi lexicon in the MEK
- ↑ Bellon Tibor: A Tisza néprajza
- ↑ Cseke Ferenc: Nagykanizsa ( Memento of March 17, 2007 in the Internet Archive )
- ↑ a b Gecsenyi Lajos: Gazdasági és társadalmi változások Győrött a 16-17. század fordulóján ( Memento of May 21, 2008 in the Internet Archive )
- ↑ entry Hajduk in Magyar Néprajzi lexicon in the MEK
- ↑ a b Jung Eszter: A Zrínyiek társzekerei ( Memento from May 21, 2008 in the Internet Archive )
- ↑ Entry Thököly Sebestyén in the Magyar életrajzi lexikon (Hungarian biographical lexicon)
- ↑ Erdei Ferenc: Néprajzi ínyesmesterség, Budapest, 1971