Lechon

Lechon is a whole roasted pig, prepared in the Philippines from a young suckling pig or a larger hog, seasoned and cooked over charcoal until its skin turns crisp and golden, and it holds pre-colonial roots in the archipelago that predate Spanish rule, built on native cooking methods and local ingredients such as lemongrass and citrus leaves rather than the Spanish recipe alone. Roasting a whole pig has ancient precedent, with surviving recipes for suckling pig dating back to Greek and Roman cooking and continuing through medieval European kitchens, and Spanish colonization carried its own version of the dish to the Philippines alongside other former Spanish territories. Today lechon is widely regarded as a national dish of the Philippines, and it has been described as a national dish of several other places that share this Hispanic culinary lineage as well, including Cuba, Puerto Rico, Portugal and Spain, each with its own regional method and stuffing. In the Philippines it is centrepiece food for celebrations such as fiestas, Christmas and weddings, traditionally served whole and carved at the table.