The Pig That Comes Home

“Nature arranged everything in the best possible way,” wrote a 19th century Russian cookbook author. “Of this the pig serves as proof. All its parts are so good that none should be thrown away.”

And it’s true, this wonderful animal still plays a major role in Russians’ lives. And, although pigs are often insulted by comparisons to slobs, it’s difficult to imagine how Russia could manage without them, either today or 100 years ago. Their meat can be fried, boiled or steamed, and all their by-products come in handy. From pig’s legs you can make wonderful dishes like studen. Svinoye salo (pig’s fat) can be eaten just as it is, you can fry things in it, or you can use it as a treatment for colds.

But pigs haven’t always been honored and respected in Russia. During the Tatar yoke (1240-1480), they were, according to Muslim beliefs, considered unclean animals, and it was thought bad taste to serve pork at tables of princes or boyars. But then, near the end of the 16th century, when the yoke became history, the suckling pig (porosyonok) came to adorn Russian feast tables. 

Then in the 18th century, when Peter the Great began encouraging German ways, the humble porker began to spread throughout Russia. According to famous writers, pigs lying in the street became a salient feature of small southern Russian towns. Even now these pigs can be seen in villagers’ yards more often than cows or goats. Meanwhile, in the rural south you can still see pigs wandering around on their own, feeling very free and easy.

Meat never was a mainstay of the Russian peasant diet — over the course of a year there were too many strictly observed fasts. And myasoyedy, periods when people could eat meat, often came at inconvenient times, like in July, when domestic animals hadn’t yet been fattened up. So the appearance of meat on  peasant tables was usually a major event, prepared with great care.

So the cooking of stuffed, suckling pig is not an easy affair. But it is worth it. So it is not surprising that it has been cooked specially for New Year’s dinners for many years. 

Before the revolution, most affluent Russians ate suckling pig. But after 1917 serving it at table was considered bourgeois, perhaps because whole pigs were difficult for ordinary folk to buy. Nor was suckling pig served at state functions — it was considered ideologically offensive. But in restaurants it was and is cooked regularly, often served not whole, as originally intended, but in portions. Many customers don’t like to see whole pigs — they feel sorry for them, although they eat the bits avidly.

— Yelena Utenkova

Suckling Pig

Ingredients (serves 6-8):

1 suckling pig (3 lb.)

1/2 cup melted butter

7 oz. buckwheat groats

1 medium onion

5 hard-boiled eggs

4 oz. vodka

salt to taste

fresh herbs 

(parsley, dill etc.)

birch chips 

(to cover the oven tray)

Immerse the pig’s carcass in cold water, take out and immediately immerse in boiling water. Clean off the fur, and carefully scrape off the bristle with a knife, trying not to cut the skin. Rub the carcass with flour and singe over an open flame. Cut the belly lengthwise from the neck and disembowel. Stuff the washed pig with boiled and lightly-fried, crumbly buckwheat, mixed with chopped eggs and finely-chopped fried onion. Make sure the stuffing is spread equally throughout the carcass. Sew the section with a thick thread. Rub the whole pig with vodka mixed with salt, to make the skin tough.

It is a good idea to cover the baking tray with wood, preferably birch, chips. Bend the pig’s legs and lay it on the chips. Pour the melted butter over the carcass and put the baking tray in a well-heated oven (350°F). As soon as the pig starts to turn red, turn down the heat to 200°F and every 7-10 minutes pour the juices flowing from the carcass back over it.

When the pig is roasted, make cuts across the back of the carcass with a knife up to the backbone and leave to cool for 15 minutes. Then remove the thread and put the buckwheat in a separate dish. Cut the carcass into portions and put on a platter, in the form of a whole pig. Add the buckwheat and bunches of fresh herbs at the sides. Put olives or large grapes in the eye sockets.