But let’s face it. The pig has been a primary source, albeit one of the most delicious foods that has sustained man ever since he has learned to play with fire. But then again that’s a matter of taste, so to speak. In some cultures and religions, it is forbidden. Moslems and Jews won’t touch it. In some, it is held sacred, offered in sacrifice to the gods or slain on grand weddings on account of its fecundity. In Papua New Guinea, there are tribes who experience familiarity on a daily basis with no other animal except the pig. In their current Bible, every animal mentioned – whether an ox, lion, sheep or whatever – is now a pig! Even Jesus Christ, the traditional "Lamb of God," in this Bible at least, sacrilegious as it may sound, is called "the Pig of God"! (Earth Changes Report, Gordon- Michael Scallion).
Having too much of this cholesterol-laden treat has been reported as a major cause of coronary disease. Perhaps someday a warning will be decreed advising the public: "Caution: Consumption of this product may be hazardous to your health. Eat it moderately." But since it’s so damn good and it ain’t killed you the first time, you keep coming back for more.
A Filipino fiesta is never complete without a lechon. It is always the centerpiece of the groaning dining table. In Balayan, Batangas, during the feast of its patron saint San Juan Bautista held every 24th of June, more than 150 lechons are trotted around town before they are devoured. Just like in a beauty competition, the lechons are dressed coyly in different garbs and are placed on tableaus to be paraded for everyone to see (in many cases, they are fenced in for obvious reasons). After a winner is adjudged, the lechons are declared up for grabs. Everybody partakes of the biggest, free-for-all outdoor fiesta fare anywhere. (Imagine that happening in the equally delectable two-legged dish pageant! He he he!!! You despicable pig, you’re so baboy talaga!)
A lechon is a lechon, you might say. But wait! We’ve tried it in different parts of the world and in different guises, and it ain’t never the same. Here are some of the most memorable ones we’ve had so far:
Zamboangita, Negros Oriental – In the coastal village of Malatapay, some 30 minutes outside Dumaguete, an open market is held every Wednesday. One walks around the unpaved main street, with all sorts of merchandise being sold, from dried fish to mats, farm implements, terra-cotta jars, etc. After a hard morning’s work of shopping, one is rewarded with a gastronomic feast as the street leads to the shore with all these food stalls selling fresh oysters, grilled seafood and meats. But the best treat of all is this lechon being chopped up, sold by the kilo, and is perhaps the tastiest and most aromatic we have ever tried. Speaking of chance encounter of another kind! It is stuffed with loads and loads of garlic, leeks, lemon grass, tamarind leaves and salted just so. Eaten as is or dipped in sinamak (spicy vinegar) and rice, nothing could beat this combination.
Bacolod – Mang Enting (Vicente Lobaton), the kinilaw expert who was Doreen Fernandez’s chief resource person for her Kinilaw book, also does a very lean and mean lechon: very crisp, deeply flavored with tanglad (lemongrass) and salt. His outlet is at 17th and Lacson Sts., in Bacolod City.
Cebu – CANG’s lechon is very aromatic. Theirs has star anise added with plenty of garlic and black pepper, although it is a bit too salty for our taste buds. Leftovers, if there are any, are great for re-frying the next day! Dip in spicy vinegar. Call (032)231-32-78 for inquiries.
Bangkok, Thailand – Just around the Chatuchak weekend market, across Otokor Market, near the fishpond suppliers, is a Chinese-Thai restaurant serving roast suckling pig for just P600 each! Now, how on earth can anyone beat that? It is served Chinese-style with matching wafer-thin pancakes, spring onion, cucumber sticks and hoisin sauce. After you’re done with the crisp skin, the remaining carcass is brought back to the kitchen and resuscitated, chopped up and deep-fried (with all its fat rendered), seasoned with namprik (spicy fish sauce).
Bali, Indonesia – Their version of the lechon is called babi guling, a very popular dish sold on market days in small villages, or daily in bigger towns. We’ve tried this in a babi guling stall outside Denpasar. An order will get you some pieces of the spit-roasted pork meat and crackling, slices of savory sausages stuffed with highly seasoned intestines, a spicy coconut milk sauce and steamed rice. It is often served with a vegetable dish of young jackfruit or nangka cooked with coconut milk, like as our ginataang langka.
Castilla y Leon, Spain – The Spanish version cochinillo, or suckling pig, is roasted in a wood-fired oven. Its legendary status comes from the famous asadores (rotisseries) of Segovia. To highlight its tenderness, the roasted three to four-week-old piglet is divided into portions using the edge of a plate. We’ve tried this piece de resistance in El Botin (Madrid), El Meson Candido (Segovia), and Caracoles (Barcelona), and invariably, it was estupendo! While roasting, the piglet is basted with white wine and pureed onion.
In Manila, the same Spanish style cochinillo is served in all Alba’s branches.
Honolulu, Hawaii – Well, this isn’t a lechon per se. It’s a whole pig pressure-cooked tender to the bones. In early Hawaii, it was the custom of its people to celebrate auspicious occasions with a feast called a luau. It used to refer to the edible taro leaves that traditionally were used to wrap the food prior to being placed in the underground oven imu, a large pit dug in the sand. Logs are placed at the bottom of the pit and topped with river rocks and a fire is started. After a couple of hours, more hot coals and hot rocks are added evenly and moist banana stalks are placed on top. A bed of banana leaves is placed to put the pig and sweet potatoes. It is then covered with more banana leaves. Usually, several wet burlap bags top this to add steam and keep the heat in. A tarp of some kind is then placed over the whole affair and then the pit is covered with sand. After six to eight hours of steam-cooking, the pig is ready. The skin and meat are so tender that they fall off the bones.
After it has been stripped naked, the remaining soggy skin, the belly and all the fatty parts are then whisked off to the kitchen to be fried till all the fat is rendered, seasoned with salt, pepper and coriander seeds (we call this lechon mix). This becomes crispy chicharon and is paired with a green chili sauce. An accompanying grilled eggplant-tomato-cilantro-salted egg salad is highly recommended.
The ribs are charcoal grilled, likewise seasoned with lechon mix. A spicy vinegar dip is suggested.
For the hind legs, these could be cooked asado-style and perhaps saved for another day.
All the remaining bones (spine, neck and head) are thrown in a cauldron of boiling broth of sinigang or nilaga. Whatever soup one fancies, it is accompanied with the corresponding veggies.
Of course, there’s always the old reliable paksiw with the liver sauce, if there’s any lechon left at all.