Porky peak: Manila pig roasters in Christmas frenzy

A whole roast pig, which weighs at least 15 kilograms, sells for about $150. That is a small fortune for many in the Philippines, where nearly a quarter of the country lives on less than $2 a day.PHOTO: AFP.

MANILA (AFP): Row upon row of pigs on bamboo spits sizzle slowly over orange embers in Manila just days before Christmas, peak season for the Philippines' pig roasting "lechoneros".

Smoke rises day and night from their cooking pits in the La Loma area, which brands itself a hub for producing one of the nation's favourite foods: "lechon", or roast suckling pig.