The term "lechon" is derived from the Spanish word "leche," which translates as "milk." The dish originated with little baby suckling piglets who were still feeding milk from their moms. As the popularity of Lechon grew, chefs began to employ larger pigs.
The history of lechon baboy also teaches us about the hundreds-year-long Reconquista of Spaniards against the Moors. The Inquisition put Muslims and Jews who were converting to Christianity to the test by forcing them to eat swine flesh.
Even before the Spaniards arrived, native Filipinos were grilling pork. Pork is used in many of their meals as well as for religious rituals. This may be traced back to the Austronesian people, who domesticated pigs and carried such boar breeds with them on their epic migration.
Lechon baboy is traditionally suckling pig grilled on a spit for a few hours. However, as the years and centuries passed, other species arose from various regions of the archipelago. We now enjoy a variety of lechon dishes, and the present lechon does not even have to be a suckling pig. Roasting whole pigs is frequent, as is roasting fowl in a same manner.
grrrr.. now, I am officially craving for some lechon skin. That;s the only part I like to eat. Also, I love lechon when it's cooked with sinigang soup
To stay connected, join us at @discord for the latest news and queries. Kindly follow us @blurtpilipinas and Don't forget to use #blurtpilipinas as your tag for us to get notified of your post.