What's with the Apple in a Pig's Snout?

Roasting pig is a tradition for many countries. One is from my country, my beloved Philippines. We roast pigs during New Year and Christmas and even on occasions like fiesta, weddings and other gatherings. Other part of the planet roast pigs particularly on Christmas and New Year. Some serve it during Thanksgiving day.

When I was still a child, I use to find roasted pigs with apples in their snout. I was curious why but I didn't bother to ask. I thought it's just normal.
When I got older, I heard different explanations about it. But the origin of the tradition is still unknown. 

Here are the theories about why there is an apple in a roasted pig's snout. One simple explanation I learned is it's a wealthy people's style to show elegance. Aside from this, I found more interesting theories behind.

It was said that a hundred years ago, farmers tradition is putting an apple in a pigs snout is a part of the meal decoration during harvest celebration. The roasted pig was decorated with different kinds of fall fruits and vegetables to match the theme of the occasion.

Another familiar theory is to release gas from the belly of the pig as it is roasted but according to Steven Raichlen, host of Primal Grill on PBS and author of The Barbecue, it is purely aesthetic. Imagine a pig with it's internal removed where would that gases came from when it is replaced by spices.

In other countries, they fed the pigs with apples to fatten them. So they believe that the pig, dead or alive should eat apples. That's why in order not to cut the cycle, they place an apple in a pig's mouth when roasting while others put it after serving. In these modern times, a ball of aluminium foil is placed in a pigs mouth when roasted and replaced by apple afterwards before serving.

In my country, we call this roasted pig as letsong or litson derived from the word "Leche" a Spanish word which means milk and pig because the pig to roast is suckling or still nursing from its mother. But as I tried hog raising, we separate a baby from its mother after 30-45 days and I realized the suckling is so small to roast😂. After I witnessed a 3-months old pig, I think it is just the right size to prepare than a poor babe. 😁 In choosing a pig to roast, a young pig was a good choice since its tender and more easy to roast. Bigger ones take more hours to prepare and cook. History of this dish originated from Spain and introduced in the Philippines during the Hispanic era and adopted all over the world.

Lechon is place in a bamboo stick after stuffing the belly with lots of lemongrasses, garlic, spring onions, salt and pepper and bay leaves and stitched with cotton thread or stainless wire and placed under hot coal. Brushed with soy sauce and evaporated milk to make its outcome red and crispy. You need a lot of hand rotating and loads of charcoal to come out with a right roasted pig in the table.

So in serving the dish, it needs a wide platter or aluminium foil under it because it excretes a lot of juices and of course the apple in the snout to make the star of the dining table more presentable😉.

So to conclude it all, an apple in a roasted pigs snout beautifies the look of an ugly creature with its mouth wide open and sticking its tongue. 🤣

Happy reading! ❤️

>Xzeon<