Smoke rises day and night from their cooking pits in the La Loma area, which brands itself a hub for producing one of the nation's favourite foods: "lechon", or roast suckling pig. Crews shovel mounds of charcoal into neat rows under the pigs as they cook, gradually darkening into a crispy, caramel-colour. Squealing, still muddy pigs arrive by the truck load, before being slaughtered and skewered on bamboo poles for cooking. A whole roast pig, which weighs at least 15 kilograms (33 pounds), sells for about $150. Yet many Filipinos splash out during the holidays, with buyers perusing the pigs displayed on their spits in the rows of lechon stalls in La Loma.

Source: The Nation Bangkok December 22, 2018 06:22 UTC