puerto rico eats: lechon

Lechon galore.

There's a town in Puerto Rico called, Guanavate, that reminds me of another town in Portugal called, Mealhada. What do they have in common? A concentration of restaurants that specialize in one thing: Pigs roasted over an open fire. The difference is that in Guanavate, the oinkers are the adult variety while the ones in Mealhada are the suckling variety.

While at Saborea Puerto Rico earlier this year, I've decided to take Mr. Sazy Rock and some new friends to Guanavate to check out the pig action. We weren't disappointed.

Lechon in transit.

First off, Guanavate is located inland and about 45 minutes to an hour away from San Juan. We were told that taxis could be ridiculously expensive and renting a car was cheaper. So, keep those in mind.

Second, the town is up a mountain so expect windy roads.

Third, there are lots of restaurants so choose wisely.

The good folks at Saborea Puerto Rico suggested that we try a restaurant called, Los Pinos. So, off we went.

Los Pinos.

We tried three main dishes:

Lechon (roasted pig) - Definitely the star of the show, we asked for a pound and lots of crisp skin. It didn't disappoint. The meat was juicy and the skin crunchy. The taste and texture were unsurprising given that they roasted the pigs over a long period.

Lechon and yellow rice.

Roasted Turkey - I'm usually not a fan of turkey because I tend to find the meat dry and flavorless. This meat was neither. The crisp skin also did not disappoint.

Morcilla (blood sausage) - although the casing had a nice snap, inside was soft and a bit spicy. It reminded me of those I've eaten in Spain.

Morcilla.

We paired the above with a tasty yellow rice that was flavored with beans and possibly saffron.

After an admittedly heavy meal, we walked around the small town to check out lots of stalls selling knick knacks, peeked into other restaurants selling the same food, and some in my group even indulged in a bit of gambling involving fake wooden horses going in circles. There wasn't much to see in the town itself but a national forest was a short distance away.

After our short trip, we went back to San Juan to rub our pig filled bellies by the beach. That sight of me on the beach may not have been pretty but I can certainly say that I was happy.

Have you been to other towns that specialize in pig goodness? Please share them below.