Lechon

Lechón is the Spanish word for suckling pig. In the Philippines, it connotes a whole roasted pig, litsong baboy. Chicken and beef are also popular. The process of lechón involves the whole pig/piglet, chicken, or cattle/calf being slowly roasted over charcoal. Lechón is often cooked during national festivities (known as fiestas), the holiday season, and other special occasions such as weddings, graduations, birthdays and baptisms, or family get-togethers. The lechón is usually the highlight and the most popular dish of these events. It is usually served with a liver-based sauce. The typical Filipino method of roasting involves placing the pig on a spit and roasting it over charcoals while wiping the skin with a brush made out of leaves drenched in water and the pig's own fat. This makes the skin "pop" and become crunchy. The term "lechón" is also now used to refer to meat cooked on a spit (often whole) such as "litsong baka" (beef) and "litsong manok" (chicken). In fact, there are numerous brands of litsong manok stalls found scattered in the metropolis. The pig had always been the center of communal feasts in pre-Hispanic Philippines, and "lechón" is the normal manner it is prepared.