Yuck!

I can relate to that! The last time I was in Segovia I opted for the Corderito rather than Cochinillo. It, too was very 'fatty.'

If you even get to the Mealhada (pronounced me al yada) Region of Portugal, try the Leitao Asado, a favored dish in that region. It's the same cochinillo but somehow they make it come out much less fatty.
Maybe it's because we had it at a 'Truck Stop' along the old Lisbon-Porto highway; and Truckers can't afford to get back on the road with symptoms like dmc123 described.

Or it could be because Americans don't understand that the fruit or yogurt or cheese dessert are part of the meal that should also be consumed as served.

Sorry DMC123 ... One man´s meat is another man´s poison I guess ... The same with Morcilla .. So many of my friends won´t touch it .. Or Orejas a la Plancha , Sesos fritos ... It´s just a question of taste .
Steve

I NEVER eat the cochinillo fat but do the skin. While cochinillo or cordero are the "must eats" of Segovia, I don't know I would recommend them if this LUNCHTIME item is part of a long day of touring onfoot. You'll just want to sleep after eating!

The two restaurants, Candido and Duque, are both beautiful, however.

Saludos, MadridMan

There is a good resturant opend in my home town of Montrose Scotland , and they do a pork belly which is the closest I have came to cochinillo in the uk . They also do a mean black pudding starter too mmmm

I had some kind of Spanish pork thing at El Churrasco in Cordoba that didn't have all that fat. It was really good.

As for the sesos / brains, my father was from Asturias, and he used to eat that all the time. He could never get the rest of the family to even try it.

He was a very American looking man, and when he used to go to Spain and order sesos in restaurants, the waiters would become very concerned thinking he didn't know what he was doing. He would reassure them that he ate brains all his life.

I guess a lot of Americans order it by mistake and get shocked when they find out what it is.

Do they eat brains in any other countries?

They do eat brains in other countries but I think Spain is at the forefront of eating every part of an animal ( which I approve of , even if I don´t enjoy sometimes ) . My frequent visits to Russia can be demanding ( In terms of food ) , but that´s all part of the adventure of travel !
Well I had my croquetas this afternoon . ... Me and friends went to intercambio ( language exchange ) last night . I met my room mate at 11pm and we hit the chupitos ( shots ) of tequila with some guys from Texas , Perú and España . It was great fun ! Steve

FREQUENT visits to Russia? Sturgeon soup!

I was in Moscow and Leningrad once in the 1970s. It was very interesting, but the food was not for me. In those days you had to go with a group and eat at the same table in the same seat everyday. Everyone had the same meal.

Once I changed my seat to sit near younger people, and it was a huge issue. I was sent back to my assigned seat for no reason that made any sense.

We went to a real restaurant one time, but they didn't have anything available on the printed menu. We walked in and all the staff ran into the back, and nobody approached us. Finally we seated outselves, and they keep peeking at us from the back. Nobody came over to us until about an hour, and then they told us they only had chicken. Very weird experience.

I suppose these cities are very different now, and I really should go back just to see the difference. I hear that Moscow is the most expensive city in the world. What is that about? Why is it so expensive?

My boss from my last job was there when all the changes were happening. He was touring in Moscow and a few other cities with the singer Billy Joel who was doing one of the first rock concerts by a foreigner. They had an amazing time.

Not that this has anything to do with cochinillo or sesos...

Donna I´m going to transfer my reply to "The world travel forum" at the bottom of the message board for fear of MM rapping me over the knuckles when I see him next jejejeje .

So it's Las Cuevas de Luis Candelas in Madrid for cochinillo asado? I am renewing this topic and am hoping to get more opinions for eating roast suckling pig in Madrid.