In Italy, Cinghiale (wild boar) meat is considered the finest sort of game, and Prosciutto di Cinghiale is a delicacy accorded much the same respect as the truffle. Individuals and companies that treat and cure the boar always leave its fur on the external skin, to distinguish it from ordinary pork (it is also much more costly). In the United States, the FDA does not permit the importation of boar prosciutto.

In 1968, Milano’s Bar Quadronno adopted the wild boar as its emblem; he is posed, sandwiched between two halves of a bread loaf to form a panino. When we opened Via Quadronno in New York in 1999, we displayed an artistic interpretation of this symbolic logo.

Mankind trained dogs and pigs to sniff for white truffles, assisting in the quest for this heavenly treat. Wild boars don’t need training: they instinctively know how to locate truffles, for they have been enjoying them for millennia. It is the boar’s nose for truffles that helped fuel his reputation as the undisputed gourmet of the animal kingdom.