ILOILO – When it comes to lechon (roast suckling pig), there are no people in this province that take it as seriously as the residents of Balasan, a fourth-class municipality 129 kilometers north of Iloilo City.
Balasan’s annual Lechon Festival is a celebration of food, culture and community, making it truly one of Iloilo’s most unique festivities.
As a kick-off to their religious fiesta in honor of their patron Santa Ana every 26th of July, residents of Balasan gathered on the main street fronting the municipal hall yesterday to share a sumptuous feast.
The culinary centerpiece was the most revered of all Filipino dishes, the mouth-watering and flavorful lechon – a popular dish usually prepared for special events such as holidays and parties and best enjoyed with everybody as there is a lot of meat to be shared.
As early as 3 a.m. the cooks were already preparing the lechon. After seasoning, pigs were skewered (entrails removed by then) on large bamboo poles and roasted in pits filled with charcoal. The bamboo poles were turned in a rotisserie action.
The pigs were roasted on all sides for several hours until done.
The process of cooking and basting (continuously wiping the pig’s skin with brush made of banana leaves dipped in oil and milk) resulted in the pork skin getting crispy and red-golden brown – a distinctive feature of the dish.
The highlight of this yearly theme-based festival is a mischievous merriment through a no-holds-barred boodle fight open to everybody by around noon.
Yesterday, each of Balasan’s 23 towns prepared a lechon for the boodle fight. The sumptuous buffet featured whole pigs on display. People just sidled up to the table and plucked off whatever they wanted.
When lunch was over, there was nothing but a few bones.
The annual boodle feast aims to bring the community even closer together. According to the 2015 census, the town had a population of 33,088 people. (iloilo.gov.ph)
