“Pampabata” (makes you young) -- Filipino’s hilariously ironic nickname for lechon

Why do such unhealthy food give you the jolt of excitement at the pit of your stomach?
Lechon, one of the most oily fattening, completely unhealthy food to consume from the Philippines, is a whole fried pig. As of now, they have developed many ways to cook lechon, from ovens, however, the more traditional technique they would use would be the outdoor preparation. They would use bamboo sticks to tie hold of the pigs, after of course, it has been scrubbed clean. They then would take the time to constantly turn it so that it cooks evenly around the pig, taking about 3 hours or so to cook, depending on size. In various big events that would be celebrated by Filipinos such as birthdays (first birthays & debuts especially), christenings , weddings etc… the presence of lechon, fried whole pig would be laid in the middle of the table. Once it has been shown to everyone in the party and everyone is just about ready to eat and dig in, the body would be chopped into small pieces, while the head of the pig with an apple in the head would be a major focal point, accustomed next to the rest of the chopped lechon. With this rather delicious meal, it is known to have very crispy skin, a favorite to many Filipinos I know. In many places they would serve lechon with a brown sauce referred to as, Mang Thomas, an all purpose liver sauce. I’ve grown so use to the sauce, that eating lechon without Mang Thomas is simply nothing, compared to it with Mang Thomas. And since lechon would be so big, there would be plenty left over to make another famously known delicious Filipino dish we call paksiw na lechon (left over lechon, vinegar, Mang Thomas and other seasonings), which is an absolute plus, if you ask me.

It was first originated from China yet, other people as well, from around the world too have cooked an entire pig. Hawaiians on the other hand, are known for cooking their pig underground. Like Filipinos, they would do this certain cooking on special occasions. You would find their pigs wrapped in potatoes and banana leaves as it cooks underground surrounded by logs and stones. They would usually cook it for about 4-6 hours. So as you can see, whole fried pigs can be found in other places around the world. If you really want to try it, here in California, try Chinatown, Lil Ongpin, or Eva's lechon (3rd st.). Why not taste and see for yourself?