The Marchigiana is an
Italian cattle breed, the
ancestry of which can be traced to the fourth century A.D., when invading '
barbarians' (
East Central Europeans) brought
Asiatic cattle into the
Italian peninsula.
Cross-bred with the native
Chianina cattle, these
Asiatic cattle eventually became the Marchigiana.
The Marchigiana has been very selectively bred for improvements, from its muscular stature and wide stance (for stability in rockier terrain) to its white coat, which covers its naturally dark skin, thus ameliorating a number of sun-caused cattle conditions.
Used now for beef in countries around the world, the Marchigiana is still most popular in Italy.
This node is part of Tem42's list of cattle breeds, entitled, simply, cattle.