Crocodile lechon anyone?

DAVAO CITY, Philippines – Crowds trooped Sunday night to the Davao Crocodile Park along the Diversion Road here to feast on a 40-kilo crocodile lechon.

The crocodile lechon was part of the park’s offering for its Croctoberfest 2011 celebration marked by football games at the nearby field.

“Crocodile lechon tastes, looks like and is cooked the way pork lechon is done, although it is eaten portion by portion just the way one eats roasted calf but then you would be surprised that crocodile meat tastes like chicken,” Philip “Sonny” Dizon, the proprietor of the park said.

Dizon told The STAR a repeat of the crocodile lechon dinner can be expected if he can find another crocodile in the farm that is old enough to be slaughtered.

He said crocodile lechon is safe to eat since the park’s caretakers and crew feed the crocodiles with appropriate food.

Dizon’s 28-year-old nephew, Dino, a graduate of a culinary school in San Francisco, USA prepared the crocodile lechon. Dino also cooked crocodile crispy pata, ribs, steak, pasta, and even prepared crocodile ice cream.