Around GMA

Article Inside Page

In a recent episode of iJuander, Arianne Betita-Sousa, a Filipina living in Portugal and former Executive Producer of Kapuso Mo, Jessica Soho, tried the mouthwatering Portuguese dish leitão, which is very similar to the Philippines' lechon.

Leitão in Portuguese literally means sucking pig o biik, and much just like the Pinoys' lechon, the leitão is also roasted until it becomes crispy and reddish-brown in color.

In the iJuander episode, Arianne and her Portuguese husband Francisco, went to the famous Pedro dos Leitoes restaurant in Mealhada, Portugal to try the leitão.

Behold, the leitao, Portugal's version of the lechon / Source: iJuander

Pedro dos Leitoes CEO Filipe Castela himself showed Arianne and her husband how the leitão is cooked.

Much like our lechon, the leitão is also skewered in a long wooden stick.

Then the inside of the leitão is filled with molho, a sauce or filling made of pork fat, black pepper, white pepper, salt, and Portuguese garlic. The leitão's skin is then sewn together before being roasted in the brick oven.

In Pedro dos Leitoes, they use branches of eucalyptus tree and vines as their fire wood. According to Mr. Castela, the first 20 minutes are crucial in cooking the leitão.

He said, “It will warm up inside, and they pay close attention to check and turn the pig.”

After roasting the leitão, they collect the drippings and use it as ingredient for the sauce.

In Portugal, the usual accompaniment of the leitão are salad and batata frita, and it is also best paired with sparkling wine.

Arianne tried the leitao and gave iJuander her verdict.

“Sobrang sarap niya. Maalat siya pero 'yung tamang alat lang. Tapos 'yung texture ng karne, sobrang tender. Sobrang crispy ng balat, parang sa Pilipinas, as in.

“'Yung sauce, medyo iba siya sa nakasanayan nating sauce. Maalat din siya pero nagbe-blend siya doon sa leitão, kasi nga galing din siya mismo doon sa leitão.”

Watch and learn how Portugal's version of lechon, the leitão, is cooked in the iJuander video below.

For more features like this, watch iJuander every Sunday at 7:45 p.m. on GTV.

Viewers abroad can also watch iJuander via GMA's flagship international channel, GMA Pinoy TV. For the program guide, visit www.gmapinoytv.com.

And for more lifestyle content, head out to GMA's Lifestyle page.

Speaking of lechon, check out the list of rotisseries that serve the currently popular lechon baka.