Roast Suckling Pig

Cochinillo Asado

Cochinillo asado is one of Spain's most spectacular and theatrical dishes, a centuries-old specialty of Segovia and the Castilian meseta that transforms a whole suckling pig into a masterpiece of contrast -- paper-thin skin that shatters like glass over meat so tender it practically dissolves on the tongue. The piglets are no more than 21 days old and fed only on their mother's milk, which gives the meat its extraordinary delicacy and sweetness. In Segovia's most famous restaurants, the ritual of carving the cochinillo with the edge of a plate -- demonstrating the meat's incredible tenderness -- followed by the ceremonial smashing of the plate on the floor, has become an iconic piece of Spanish culinary theater.