Suckling pig

This article can apply to the broader pig genus. For the most familiar species, see domestic pig.

Sucking pig is a young pig that has only fed on its mother's milk. The term suckling pig is often used but this is incorrect usage of the term. The mother pig is suckling her young while the young suck from her hence, sucking pig or piglet. The young pig is killed between the ages of two to six weeks and traditionally roasted. Usually reserved for special ocassions it is a popular dish in many Asian cultures in particular Chinese while the European cultures of Spain and Portugual favor it highly as well. However, sucking pig's popularity has declined in the United States and theUnited Kingdom. The flesh of the sucking pig is pale and tender and roasting produces a crispy skin (crackilings) that are highly valued. The texture is somewhat gelatinous due to the amount of collagen in the young pig. There are many recipes found for sucking pig from both the ancient world e.g., ancient Rome, China to the present day spanning cultures and centuries.

Reference

Davidson, Alan. Oxford Companion to Food (1999), "Sucking Pig", p. 761.