Nora Magno, a Filipina nurse living and working in Austria, has established another means to earn money in the midst of the growing global financial crisis - roasting pigs popularly known in the Philippines as lechon (roasted suckling pig).

One thing that sets Nora’s lechon apart from that of the typical Austrian “Spanferkel” (roasted small pig) is that, she does this over a heated charcoal fire. Austrians do it in an electric grill or motorized pig rotisserie.

Magno, the only Filipino who roasts lechon the Filipino way in Austria, is very happy that Pinoys in the country support her business.

“The demand for lechon among ‘kababayans’ is quite big since my lechon is being roasted over a charcoal fire. This is something unique about the sights and aromas of a whole animal, slow roasting over a fire, something that people can’t help but enjoy,” Magno said.

Just like in the Philippines, a large gathering--such as weddings, christenings and even wakes-- isn't complete without a full-size roast pig on the dining table. In Austria, most of the lechons served every Filipino gathering are from Nora’s Lechon.

"Some people, they get homesick," said Malou Sta. Maria, a Pinay nurse, "but if they see lechon they don't need to think about home."

"With this type of business I am in, I am very much convinced that I am contributing something so that the tradition of the Philippines will live, even if we are not in the Philippines," Magno said.

Magno rubs vegetable oil on the pigs to enhance natural flavors when she prepares lechon in an improvised roasting room in Lower Austria. She and husband Herbert, an Austrian, prepare lechon -- which sells for at least €180,00 each. Since she hails from Batangas, Nora prides herself on sticking to the Batangas-style recipe, stuffing the pig with onions, lemon grass and garlic before cooking it outside for hours.

Magno, who has roasted as many as 30 to 50 pigs on special occasions like Christmas, New Year and Easter, also donates lechon to charity and religious affairs.

“It is my way of thanking God for the blessings I receive throughout the year,” Magno said.

Lechon is a Spanish term for suckling pig. In the Philippines, it connotes a whole roasted pig or the Philippine's "lechon baboy".