Let me begin by saying I am against infanticide. However, in two matters culinary, I will occasionally allow my shadow side to rule. It sees to it that I never miss a chance to indulge in my love of the tiny elvers known as angulas in Spain. It also ensures that when offered, I always delight in a taste of cochon de lait, or suckling pig. 

According to Pigology: the Ultimate Encyclopedia by Daisy Bird and Camilla Pintonato, an illustrated compendium of all things piggly, a suckling pig is a piglet between the ages of two and six weeks. Typically, they weigh between ten and twenty pounds and must be young enough to still be on a diet of mother’s milk. In Spain, where roast suckling pig is thought to have originated in Roman times, piglets prepared the traditional way must be no more than a month old. Suckling pigs have been a delicacy for centuries and were often featured as the centerpiece at medieval banquets. Their tender flesh was considered a delicacy, and the young pig was often presented on a platter garnished with an apple in its mouth. Sobrino de Botín in Madrid, Spain, certified the world’s oldest restaurant by the Guiness World Records, has been serving these since 1725.  

Now that may be cochinillo or cochon de lait for the rest of the world. But in Louisiana, we do it differently! In Cajun country, a cochon de lait refers not only to the piglet but also to a knock-down drag-out pig-picking party, where succulent porkers become the centerpiece of the gatherings. Traditionally, the pigs are cooked over an open wood fire after being seasoned with salt, pepper, garlic, and other spices. Our pigs are also heftier—usually about twenty to thirty pounds, but they can weigh as much as fifty pounds.  

Pigs being smoked and Budweiser beer at the Cochon de Lait Festival in Mansura, 1971. Courtesy of the State Library of Louisiana 

The sheer abundance of meat means that a Louisiana cochon de lait is going to be an event bringing together families and community in celebration; while the pig or pigs are cooking, there’s plenty of time for catching up, dancing, or simply chewing the fat! Then, when the pig is done to a turn, there’s usually a buffet featuring sides like coleslaw, maque choux, and other classic Cajun dishes. For many, the pièce de résistance of any cochon de lait is the crackling, or crispy pork skin, that is served with the pig. 

The festivities usually occur in spring or early summer. The big daddy of them all, the Cochon de Lait Festival in Mansura, is held the second full weekend in May. Mansura is considered the cochon de lait capital of the world; the festival, which began as a part of the city’s centennial in 1960 and has been held on and off since then, features a children’s pig pen, a greasy pig contest (entrants try to catch a greased pig), a 5k run, a Queen’s pageant, carnival rides, and lots and lots of tasty cochon de lait for all. It’s a perfect place to pig out. 

Jessica B. Harris is the author, editor, or translator of nineteen books, including thirteen cookbooks documenting the foodways of the African Diaspora. In March 2020, she became a James Beard Lifetime Achievement awardee.