Rico's Lechon - A Nice Treat Before Flying Back Home

A trip to Cebu is never complete without a kilo or two of their all time favorite delicacy - Lechon! For the uninformed, lechon is stuffed pig (yes, the whole freakin pig) roasted to perfection for hours. The mere thought of lechon brings me back to one of my favorite Pinoy folklores - ang Alamat ng Lechon!

There's one near the airport - perfect for a last minute stop over. 

Once there was a village who loved to raise pigs. Each house had its own barn, oddly located below the residences. The villagers loved those pigs and fed them the best plants. The pigs, in turn, showed their affection by being playful and cheerful.

One fateful day, the villagers went to a neighboring town to join a fiesta. Nobody wanted to stay behind as they will miss out on all the great food, fun and games. Everyone left early, with the exception of Lydia who woke up too late. In her haste, she forgot to blow her candle/nightlight before she ran off in pursuit of her family and friends.

Who can resist?

That single candle would change the fate of the pigs. It caused a fire like never before seen in the region. The pigs, trapped in their cages, had nowhere to run. They all perished and got burned to a crisp.

When the villagers returned, they were caught off guard by the devastation. But what surprised them more was the inviting aroma that came from their village. They discovered a reddish brown delicacy where their pigs were, and just could not resist getting a taste. And that, ladies and gentlemen, is how Lechon came about to this world.

With that said, lemme go back to the reason why I wrote this entry in the first place - Rico's Lechon. I'm not sure which is more popular: Rico's, or the classic CNT lechon (which I love). But we ended up with Rico's because the crew craved for spicy lechon.

Not everyone eats lechon, but that didn't stop the fans from dining here!

The bad news? No more spicy lechon when we got there (sorry to those who wanted us to bring home some). What the hell? It was only 5PM, and the spicy lechon was already sold out? This isn't the first time that this happened to me (and I'm sure this is not a unique experience), so you would think that they would prepare more of those to meet the demand. Ugh. So with a bit of a frown on my face, I decided to order the regular variety as well as some Lechon Paksiw. We also ordered chicken skin, sizzling squid and an eggplant dish - but I never got to touch those. Only lechon for this die hard fan.

The lechon was, as always, quite satisfying. What do they feed these things that make them extra yummy? It will probably cost me my life someday, but we only live once right? The paksiw, on the other hand, was not what I expected. I was craving for the "mang tomas" variety and not the literal "paksiw" with lots of vinegar. But the lechon. Yum. I always say that I would willingly fly to Cebu if only to get a taste of lechon. I'm a certified lechon addict. Lechon lechon lechon. Did someone say lechon?