This weekend sees the annual Cochon de Lait Festival in Mansura, LA, not far from my home. 'Cochon de Lait' is the Cajun term for roast suckling pig, which - when cooked over coals in the traditional South Louisiana style - is to die for. Here's what it looks like in preparation.
Dang, my mouth's watering already! For a great recipe (and a really funny story) see here.
Activities are a wonderful mish-mash of family fun. I particularly like the fact that the Catholic Church has been actively involved in the festivities for generations, and so Mass is regarded as just another festival event. Thus, for example, the schedule for Saturday includes:
- 4 p.m. - Greasy Pig Contest.
- 5 p.m. - Mass.
Do the kids clean up before Mass, after chasing the greased pigs? Well, sometimes . . . and then there was the glorious occasion on which the victorious kid tried to sneak his hard-won greased pig into Mass with him. It escaped, of course, halfway through the opening hymn, which led to all sorts of hysterics among the congregation.
The main thing, though, is the food. I have to say, I've visited almost all the states in the USA, and Louisiana is right at the top of the heap in terms of the ordinary, everyday country cooking that's taken for granted by the locals. With Cajun, Creole, cowboy and country in the mix, the results are absolutely
Guess what I'm eating Saturday?
Peter
Bizarre Foods did a pork-centric segment in Spain that featured the world's oldest restaurant and it served suckling pig. Looked delicious. I'd love to make it at home, but I don't think my two little girls would sit still for it.
ReplyDeleteAs an '66 graduate of LSU from Illinois who now lives in New Orleans, my first Couchon du lait (milk-fed pig) festival was in 1965 while in summer school at LSU.
ReplyDeleteI still have the souvenir glazed hollow sugar cane piece of stalk they gave out to drink out of--even has the official decal on it (a spread hog's hide within a circle containing the name and location and date of the festival)
Great eating--and I should know, I married a gal from down in Opelousas not too far from there--right in the heart of Cajun Country. Met her when we were both getting our Masters at Univ of Southwestern Louisiana in the 70s (USL--I refuse to call it by that idiotic U-la-la new name.)
PS: A fraternity brother of mine had a grand-mother who had what was best described as a cross between a large farm and a small plantation in Cottonport next door to Mansura. We used to ride horses bare-back all through the back-country on her property during visits up there. It's how I really learned to ride horses.
Sorry to have missed it this year--we usually get up for it just before taking off for our other place on the west-coast for the summer as my mother-in-law is still alive and living in Opelousas, but we left early this year.