Culinary Delights of Puerto Rico: Lechon

On Labor Day, we traveled with our family to Guavate, home of the lechon highway. Guavate is a mountain town in central Puerto Rico, whose twisty main road weaves through the jungle amidst a great many "lechoneras". Lechon is the Puerto Rican term for roast whole pig on a spit. It's traditionally cooked up on weekends and served for lunch, or for as long as it happens to last. It is typically accompanied by dance floors/halls with loud music and copious amounts of alcohol. We have been meaning to partake of this local tradition for years, and finally got our chance thanks to Eva's uncle & aunt!

First, a tip - no bread is served at most lechonaras, but nothing goes with roast pig like a loaf of pan sobao, which is the most delightful hunk of bread on the face of the planet. Forget about France and Italy, Puerto Rico holds the bread crown in our book. On our list of to-do's: secure the recipe for this doughy goodness and attempt to recreate the magic back home. You can find pan sobao at most local bakeries around the island.  Normally this bread does not make it to its final destination because Eva devours it in the car on the way. Amazingly, this time she managed to control herself amidst the aroma of four loaves of freshly baked pan sobao wafting throughout the car. 

Next it was off to Guavate, about a 30 minute drive south of San Juan. Taking the main highway through Caguas, take the Guavate exit and follow the winding road up the mountain through the jungle. You'll soon begin to spot lechon joints dotting both sides of the road. These places get going on Saturday and Sunday around lunch time, which is when you'll want to visit if you are up for a party. As it was Labor Day when we went, many of the lechoneras were closed and the crowds were minmal. However, a choice few remained open. We popped into Lechonera Los Pinos for our porky smorgasbord, a photograph of which is shown below.

Here's a snapshot of the unfortunate ungulate of the day, or what was left of him when we got there. Unfortunate for him but lucky for us, because he was tasty.

Waiting in line for some roast pig:

The next picture shows a sampling of our fare. On the top is a type of yuca root with onions, butter and garlic. Yum. The bottom left plate includes batatas (Puerto Rican yam) and some sausage made fresh from the pig. They also have blood sausage which is more traditional, but we didn't indulge. Finally, on the bottom right is what we came for: two pounds of barbecued lechon, including the crispy skins which might be the best part!

The lechoneras are super casual and very family friendly. B loved it...

...but that could have been because of all the attention he was getting from his aunt, uncle, cousin and great-grandma:

With full bellies, we departed Los Pinos and strolled up the road to El Rancho lechonera, home to what appeared to be the area's largest dance hall and kinkiest of lechon art. The picture below shows the road heading up to El Rancho. We're told that this is typically backed up for miles on a normal weekend day, so be prepared! El Rancho is both on the left and right side of the road, with two large dance halls and, of course, a massive lechon pit.

Behind the main restaurant is bridge that crosses a small stream and leads to small huts, each with its own table and chairs. 

In front of El Rancho with Nani:

These signs of pig waitresses serving pig reminded me of the guinea pig joint in Peru with the guinea pig wearing a chef's hat (as seen in my first Culinary Delights installment). 

So next time you are in Puerto Rico and in the mood for some tasty barbecue, do like the locals do and take the trip down to Guavate on a Saturday or Sunday for a lechon lunch. And with that I'll leave you with one final piece of lechon art: