Suckling pig is a pig that can be roasted and eaten.
Now, when I say a pig I don't mean ham or pork or
bacon. What I mean is a whole pig. It is often
seen in cartoons or movies involving banquets being eaten
by medievil persons. It's the pig at the centre of the
table witht the shiny red apple in its mouth.
The suckling pig is prepared by cutting a dead pig
down the front, and removing all the organs (e.g. heart,
liver, intestines and spleen). Sausage meat can then be used to
fill up the cavity left in the pig from whence the organs
were removed.
The name "suckling pig" comes from the fact that the pig is young and thus was still suckling on it's mother's teet when it was slaughtered. In case the name still doesn't make
much sense to you, it is also sometimes called "sucking
pig". Now doesn't that sound much more appetizing?
In case you have the urge and the courage to try it
yourself, here's a recipie from the Complete Book Of Meat
Cookery In Color published in 1971. Page 28 of the book
shows a proud chef standing behind his monstrous four foot
long roasted suckling pig. It is interesting to note that
the chef bears an uncanny resemblance to his creation,
strengthening the idea "you are what you eat". This
recipie is on page 33:
ROAST SUCKING PIG
Serves 10-12
1 x 18 lb. sucking pig
oil
salt
1 small red apple
Stuffing:
6 lb. pork sausage meat
2 apples
1 onion, finely chopped
1 teaspoon dried thyme
1 teaspoon dried rosemary
2 eggs
3 cups soft breadcrumbs
Wipe moisture from inside of sucking pig. Place stuffing
in cavity and sew up securely with white string. Place a
piece of wood or a meat skewer into the pig's mouth to keep
it open. Rub surface with oil, then salt and rub again with
oil.Place sucking pig in a large roasting pan and bake in a
moderate oven for 4 hours or until pig is cooked. The skin
may be scored in a decorative pattern, if desired, before
roasting. To serve, remove wood from pig's mouth and
replace with a polished red apple. Serve hot or cold. To
make stuffing, mix all ingredients together.
TIME 4 hours
TEMPERATURE 325-350 °F
It actually sounds rather easy, if not somewhat
disturbing. There are hazards, of course, that my aunt B
discovered. (Name truncated to protect the innocent).
My aunt B is quite inventive when it comes to food. Her
culinary experiments are usually very tasty, and turn out
quite well. So, if anyone could tackle Roast Suckling Pig,
it was her. She invited her family over for a feast, and
procured a suckling pig to prepare. The pig was a rather
young one, but there still turned out to be a lot of hog
to cook. So much that when my aunt tried to put the
poor fella in the oven, Murphy's Law prevailed: The pig would
not fit.
After careful consideration, a plan was made to bisect
the pig down the middle. The plan was enacted and the two
demi-pigs were put in the oven on separate trays.
Murphy's law was not beaten yet, as now the pig was
taking too long to cook. The guests were getting hungry and
the meal was nowhere near ready. So the oven temperature
was increased. This was all fine and dandy until the living
room adjecent to the kitchen began to fill with a peculiar
smoke tinged with the scent of burning pork fat. Thus, the
temperature was decreased.
Eventually, the pig was cooked. Putting the pig back
together proved difficult, as the situation was not at all
like a magician sawing a woman in half. My aunt simply
decided to cut the pig into slices, and the suckling pig
was reduced to tasty but unimaginative pork.
Of course, this all happened before I was born, but the
story has become a legend in my family, and is repeated
every time we go to my aunt B's house. | 
