Well, it could be argued that it’s because of Chef Anthony Bourdain calling lechon “the best pig ever”. Or could it be because there’s what’s called a Lechon Festival that brought lechon to prominence in the Philippines? (Although I’m not sure about the history of the Lechon Festival.)

There’s actually a simpler reason. Ask the question, “Is lechon good?” and you’ll likely get a resounding yes. The meat is crispy, crunchy and juicy, and oh so flavorful!

Here’s another reason: is lechon expensive? That’s also a yes – and according to the Wall Street Journal, that’s a way the host shows their prestige during their special event. Plus, when the host of a party prepares lechon and invites you, that means you’re important! 

There’s now even lechon for smaller occasions, called the conchillo, arguably made famous by Marvin Agustin. 

And that’s why lechon is popular, whether the occasion is big or small, and whether it’s in a hotel or a remote barangay. It not only tastes good, but it also symbolizes prestige, importance, value, and of course, a lot of good feasting!

But wait, where did lechon come from in the first place? And did you know that there are different ways of preparing it, and that it also has many variants?

Let’s take a closer look at this Filipino party staple and learn more about it, shall we?

*Note: This was originally published back in November 28, 2020. It was updated January 27, 2023.

Key Takeaways

• There’s a simple reason why lechon is popular in the Philippines: it tastes good!
• What does lechon mean to Filipinos? It means good food, feasting, and prestige. And if you get served this, it means you’re a valued guest.
• There are different ways of preparing lechon, depending on which part of the Philippines you’re in, as well as different variants.

What is the origin of lechon?

Where did lechon originate? Well, despite lechon being found pretty much everywhere in the country, it did not originate here – it’s actually of Spanish origin (like the basque burnt cheesecake). The Spanish word lechón means suckling pig.

And it’s entirely possible that it was indeed the Spaniards who came up with how lechon is made. Various versions of lechon in the world can be found in Latin countries – and most of those have been colonized by Spain.

However, it can also be argued that it wasn’t the Spaniards who invented lechon. After all, many food historians and chefs think that pigs and wild boar were already being cooked by native Pinoys. Plus, it could also be possible that it was Chinese traders who showed Filipinos back then how lechon is prepared.

I guess we’ll never truly know. One thing I do know, though? We’re glad lechon is around and is famous, making it easy to find and order!

How is lechon cooked?

The answer to this depends on where you get your lechon. Get your lechon in Cebu (arguably the most famous place for lechon) and you can expect that it will be stuffed with lemongrass, tamarind, or other fragrant local herbs. The lechoneros will also add spices to the lechon meat and roast the pig over a bed of hot coals to give it the distinct Visayan lechon flavor. 

If you get lechon in Luzon, you’ll get a lechon that has fewer herb components. Cooks will also roast it over wood for a different taste, and it’s served with a lechon dipping sauce for added deliciousness.

If you get the chance to try both, you should! 

What are some variants of the famous lechon?

Why is pork so popular and famous in the Philippines? Aside from it being delicious, it’s versatile! You can make many variants of the lechon, such as:

Lechon de Leche or Cochinillo

I mentioned this above in passing. Cochinillo refers to a small pig that’s between three weeks to a month old and has super juicy flesh and thin skin that gets crunchier while getting cooked. The crunch is important – that’s why you’ll see people cracking one using a plate! As I also mentioned earlier, it’s a great choice for smaller special events.

Lechon Belly

The pig’s belly is known for being very flavorful, which is why it’s a popular choice for the part of a pig. You’ll know it for its appearance: a thick, roasted tube with lemongrass in between. It’s great for intimate gatherings as well.

Crispy Pata – a famous lechon variant in the Philippines

Making lechon is actually a long process (think hours), so if you don’t have time to wait since you’re hungry, you can just eat crispy pata. And would say no to this pork meat dish that has tender meat and super crispy skin? I don’t know anyone!

Is it possible to just make lechon at home?

There are times when there is no special occasion but we just crave for lechon. Do you really have to buy one? Is it possible to make this famous dish at home by yourself? 

Yes you can! Check out The Bailiwick Academy’s class by Chef RV Manabat: The House of Lechon and Paella.

In this class, you’ll be making delicious bellychon, a modified version of lechon, in the simplest way possible. But it won’t be ordinary lechon either: you’ll learn Chef RV’s secret for keeping the lechon skin and meat juicy and flavorful for a whole 24 hours!

What’s a good accompaniment to the famous lechon?

If you noticed, the class has two things to teach you. One is bellychon, and the other is paella! 

And not just one type of paella , too. Chef RV will share his master formula of a paella recipe which he learned from Spain. It will let you produce as much as a hundred variations of paella!

Chef RV doesn’t stop there either. He includes in his class bonus recipes for Garlic Baked Salmon and Strawberry Shortcake!

You know what? You should just check out our class teaser and hear from Chef RV himself!

In short, not only will you get to make a variant of lechon, you’ll also get three delicious accompaniments to make a really complete meal! You can even start a food business with this class – and I’m sure you’ll more than get your return of investment.

So what are you waiting for? Sign up at The Bailiwick Academy today and start making the famous lechon (and more) today!

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Keep coming back to The Bailiwick Academy blog for more kitchen tips, tricks, and much more!

The post Why is Lechon Famous in the Philippines? appeared first on Online Baking and Cooking Classes - The Bailiwick Academy.

Pinoy Christmas Party Food Ideas – Appetizers or Meryenda

Macaroni salad

Ahhh, macaroni. This very versatile pasta pops up a lot as salad form during Noche Buena, Christmas, and even New Year. You serve macaroni salad cold, with cooked macaroni, mayonnaise, sweet jelly, and vegetables as the ingredients. You can consider this as a Filipino recipe since the salad is served with a sweeter taste than other versions. Variations of the macaroni salad can involve adding shredded chicken or tuna to the dish.

Pancit/Noodles

Pancit is basically Filipino noodles. It is valued during special occasions because it symbolizes long life.If you can’t think of any Filipino Christmas party food ideas, just think of pancit. There are many pancit variants in the Philippines, such as Pancit Malabon, Lomi, Pancit Canton, and Sotanghon soup (sometimes, the noodles come with soup). If you’re lucky, the event you’ll go to will have pancit topped with crispy pork. Yummy!

Queso de Bola

Queso de Bola is known as such because it’s… well, it’s cheese in a ball form. The red is red wax or paraffin. It is actually Edam cheese, a Dutch semi-hard cheese designed to last on long trade route voyages. It ages well, and the more it ages, the harder it becomes. But not only that: the flavor becomes more intense! According to Vice, it is popular in the Philippines because round things symbolize money. Plus, the color red is a symbol of good luck. Serve this with hot pandesal and hot chocolate, and you’re sure to have happy eaters.

Lumpia

Lumpia is a popular snack in the Philippines. Pinoys even have a running joke where they’d be happy to be paid by unlimited lumpia access. We aren’t really sure where that joke originated. What we are confident of, though, is that lumpia are spring rolls made of thin paper-like “lumpia wrappers.” Inside are pork and other ingredients. You can present lumpia as either deep-fried or fresh, but the deep-fried version is more known in the Philippines.

Pinoy Christmas Party Food Ideas – Main Courses

Pinoy Christmas Party Food Ideas – Various Chicken Recipes

Chicken is a staple food in the world, and you’ll find that many Filipino dishes involve chicken. For Christmas, you might find chicken adobo, chicken empanada, or even a simple roasted chicken being served. If you can be sure of one thing, it’s that chicken is a popular Filipino ingredient!

Pinoy Christmas Party Food Ideas – Various Pork Recipes

Aside from chicken, pork is another constant in Filipino Christmas recipes – and even in non-Christmas ones. You have the delicious and crowd favorite crispy pata (pata is pork leg), pork belly, and the lechon kawali. Lechon kawali means pork belly slabs deep-fried in a pan, which is different from lechon, which we’ll get to later. There’s also hamonado, a sweet pork dish that uses pork shoulders, pineapple, sugar, and other seasonings. You’ll never run out of pork dish ideas or recipes!

Christmas Ham

If we’re talking about Christmas food in the Philippines, it has to be Christmas ham! We wouldn’t be surprised if this ham comes with a note: “Serve on Christmas ONLY.” After all, the ham is called Christmas ham for a reason. It’s a delicious mix of sweet and salty and is perfect with rice or bread. 

Relyenong bangus

The relyenong bangus is a fish recipe that’s usually seen only on special occasions. You call it stuffed milkfish in English. One makes relyenong bangus using milkfish meat, carrots, potatoes, and other vegetables, as well as raisins, pickles, and spices. It’s one of the favorite seafood recipes of Pinoys!

Lechon

When you say “lechon” in the Philippines, it usually means roasted pig cooked over hot coals served on special occasions. But lechon is not limited to just pork. There’s also lechon manok (roasted chicken) and lechon baka (roasted beef or cow). All are equally delicious, but lechon baboy (roasted pig) is generally the most celebrated in the Philippines. If you taste the crispy skin, you’ll see why.

Inihaw

Notice the names of Filipino dishes? The names usually mean the way that the dish is cooked. Inihaw means to grill or to barbecue; therefore, inihaw na liempo simply means grilled pork. And when it comes to inihaw, you can grill many things, such as fish, chicken, and beef. 

Pinoy Christmas Party Food Ideas – Snacks or Desserts

Buko Salad 

In English, you call buko salad as coconut salad. Its primary ingredients are coconut milk and delicious coconut meat. Add fruit cocktail, condensed milk, cream, and you’ll get a cool, sweet treat that’s distinctively Pinoy.

Leche Flan

It’s the Filipino version of the French dish creme caramel. This custard dessert with caramel sauce is always a hit among Pinoys. It runs out without fail, to the sadness of slow eaters.

Fruit Salad 

We can say that fruit salad is definitely Filipino Christmas food! It’s another sweet, delicious treat with condensed milk, cream, and canned fruit cocktail. Some even add peaches and sugar palm fruit (known as kaong) for added flavor and texture. A variant is the macaroni fruit salad. What’s the difference? It’s still basically the same fruit salad but with macaroni. Don’t knock it until you’ve tried it!

Buko Pandan

Buko pandan is almost like buko salad; in fact, one can say they’re related recipes. You still make buko pandan buko with shredded coconut and cream, but there are a few differences. Some of those is that buko pandan is green, has fewer fruits involved, and has pandan flavoring, hence the name. Oh, and there’s jelly too. Some people also add tapioca pearls, probably for more texture while eating this cold treat.

Kakanin

We talked about kakanin in a previous blog post, so make sure to read it if you haven’t yet. Again, kakanin is an umbrella term for any traditional Filipino glutinous rice or sticky rice cake. Specific examples of kakanin are maja blanca, bibingka, suman, and puto bumbong. Did we mention Filipinos love rice so much that rice dishes even become dessert?

(If you want to enroll in our Kakanin course, click here!)

What are the Pinoy Christmas party food ideas that you like best?

These are some of the top Filipino Christmas meals we can think of, or at least, these are the party food we can remember usually served on Christmas. Did we miss out on anything? Do you have favorite Christmas recipes that we didn’t mention, like beef mechado, or fish recipes, or vegetable recipes?  Let us know in the comments so we can be sure we have an updated list for next year.

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If you want more Pinoy Christmas party food ideas, why not try our class with Chef Chona? We call this class Christmas Holiday Bestsellers. Check out the preview video below.

In this class, you’ll learn to make fruitcakes, fresh cream tarts, and two other yummy desserts! Enroll so you can make these certified delicious treats during your Christmas gatherings!

Enroll in the Christmas Holiday Bestsellers class now!

The post Pinoy Christmas Party Food Ideas! appeared first on Online Baking and Cooking Classes - The Bailiwick Academy.