lechon

Meanings

1. 1noununcountable

   A whole young pig roasted slowly over hot coals until its skin is crisp, served at parties and festivals, especially in the Philippines.

   Grammar: Usually uncountable as a dish: we ate lechon. You can say a lechon for one whole roast pig.

   Patterns

   • roast lechon
   • a platter of lechon

   The birthday table was crowded around a golden lechon.

   My aunt ordered a whole lechon for the family reunion.

   Crispy lechon skin is the first thing to disappear at the party.

2. 2noununcountable

   Roast pork of any cut, seasoned and cooked until tender, as served in Spanish-speaking Caribbean homes.

   Grammar: Used for the meat as food, with no article: we had lechon with rice and beans.

   Patterns

   • lechon with rice

   On Christmas Eve we served lechon with rice and beans.

   The restaurant is known for its garlicky lechon.

Common combinations

roast lechon

They roast lechon over charcoal for hours.

whole lechon

A whole lechon was carried in to cheers.

lechon sauce

The sweet lechon sauce is made with liver.

crispy lechon skin

The crispy lechon skin crackled under the knife.

Synonyms and how they differ

roast pork

Roast pork is the general term for any pork cooked in an oven, while lechon points to a whole spit-roasted pig and its crisp skin.

suckling pig

Suckling pig describes the young animal itself, whereas lechon names the finished dish and the tradition around it.

Word family

lechonera noun

a place that sells roast pork, in Spanish-speaking regions

lechón asado noun

Spanish name for roast pork

Practice

Make it your own

Write a sentence using “lechon”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.

Explore more words