The pig head was boiled in a pot on the grill for a couple hours, then roasted directly on the grill before serving. The cows head was served with lots of side salads, while the pig head was served with boiled yucca, or as it's known by here, mandioca.
It was nteresting to be served a part of the animal that we seldom eat in the United States. It’s not only consumed here, but it is considered a delicacy and reserved for special occasions. Paraguay is a rural country, with many people living and owning farms, thus having more direct contact with the food they eat. The pig that was used for the pigs head was killed by my family, and I have since also seen my host family kill a pig and cut it up and store it in the freezer for later use. While people certainly still buy meat in the grocery store here, it is much more common for people to kill the animals that they eat and to use the entire animal. It made me realize that while it may at first seem grotesque to eat the head of an animal, it is better than the alternative, throwing away the head and wasting a part of the animal. The moral of the story, I think, is that if you’re going to kill an animal to eat it, you might as well eat the whole thing. Although I wouldn’t rush back for seconds on pig or cow head, I am glad I tried it, and it made me rethink my perspective on what I would and wouldn’t eat.
