You Are What You Eat :p

I chose to be a vegetarian for two years just for the heck of it. Although I eat meat now, pork is still not much of a priority. Especially lechon. It amazed me no end seeing people devouring this novelty food (daw).

The History of Lechon (according to http://3cities.uphighschoolcebu.edu.ph)

Cebu is well-known for its roasted pig- Lechon Cebu. Lechon is the Chinese term for roasted pig.

During fiestas, the celebration is incomplete without the star of the table, the lechon. During fiestas or family gatherings, the lechon is always present.

Cebu's lechon is a favorite even among other Filipinos from the other regions. Cebu's lechon is so well-liked that people often order it from Cebu and have it air-shipped to their respective places.

What makes Cebu's lechon popular is its distinctive taste, borne out of its simple manner of cooking. Other Philippine regions have their own unique ways of cooking lechon, but the Cebuano way and taste tops anyone's list.

According to workers in Baylon's Lechon, one of Cebu's long-time providers of lechon, the preparation and cooking of lechon is very simple.

First, the pig is cleaned well. The pig's belly is opened and then the internal organs taken out.

After cleaning the pig, seasoning like onions, garlic, soy sauce, salt, lemongrass, and vetsin (monosodium glutamate) are stuffed in the pig's stomach. The amount of ingredients being put depends on the cook's preferences. The exact proportion of the seasonings vary with every lechon provider; in fact, it could be said that the proportion has become a trade secret.

Then, the pig's stomach is stitched to keep the spices and seasoning inside. The pig is then impaled on a bamboo pole like one big piece of barbecue. The pig is bathed with soy sauce and then roasted over burning charcoal.

Typically, roasting time last about two hours, after which the pig is no longer a pig but a lechon already.

.