Leitão da Bairrada: how to put it on the menu
Leitão à Bairrada is a whole suckling pig rubbed inside with a paste of lard, garlic, pepper and salt, then slow-roasted in a wood-fired oven until the skin crackles. It is carved in front of the guest and served with the juices from the roast.
Updated October 2026
How it reads on the menu, in each language
| Language | Name | Line for the guest |
|---|---|---|
| Portuguese | Leitão à Bairrada | Leitão assado em forno de lenha com pele estaladiça e molho de pimenta e alho; servido com batata frita às rodelas, laranja e salada. |
| English | Leitão à Bairrada | Bairrada-style roast suckling pig with crackling skin and a peppery garlic sauce, served with crisps-style potatoes, orange and salad. |
| Spanish | Leitão à Bairrada | Cochinillo asado al horno de leña al estilo de Bairrada, con piel crujiente y salsa de pimienta y ajo; con patatas fritas, naranja y ensalada. |
| French | Leitão à Bairrada | Cochon de lait rôti au feu de bois à la mode de Bairrada, peau croustillante et sauce au poivre et à l’ail ; frites chips, orange et salade. |
Usual allergens to check
None of the 14 allergens is part of the base recipe. Check the sausages, stocks and sides you use.
A guide based on the traditional recipe. Only your recipe and your suppliers tell you what the dish contains. How to list allergens
What Leitão da Bairrada is
It comes with thin-sliced fried potatoes, orange slices, salad and, by tradition, sparkling wine from the Bairrada.
How to write it for visitors
Say whether the price is per portion, per kilo or for half a pig to take away. For visitors, “suckling pig” is the right English term; “crackling skin” explains what makes it special.
Where and when it is eaten
In the Bairrada, between Coimbra and Aveiro, above all in Mealhada, and in restaurants across Portugal that order it from there.
Frequently asked questions
Does leitão à Bairrada contain allergens?
The base recipe (pig, lard, garlic, pepper, salt) contains none of the 14 allergens. Check the sides: bread (gluten) and sparkling wine (sulphites).
What is leitão in English?
“Suckling pig”. On the menu keep “Leitão à Bairrada” and explain “roast suckling pig with crackling skin”.