HAVING been under Spain for 300 centuries, it is not surprising that many of our foods have been influenced by the European colonizer.
Pochero, afritada, estofado, caldereta are among the Spanish culinary influences that we have made our own, and therefore, they are now strictly Filipino.
One very popular morning greeter is longganisa, which is the progeny of the Spanish chorizo. When it comes to longganisa, the varieties are staggering.
There are two flavors, the recado or longganisa that has garlic or other spices for flavoring, and the jamonado or sweet type.
The Cebu longganisa is jamonado, being sweet in flavor. It is ball in shape and has more fat than meat, but when well-cooked, it is very delicious especially paired with fried rice, fried egg and hot chocolate.
Tuguegarao longganisa has a pronounced garlic flavor, probably because the place grows garlic. Achuete (annatto) has been added to the sausage, giving it a yellow color. It can be used in pochero and pancit sotanghon. On the other hand, Lucban longganisa has less garlicky taste and more oregano and other herbs to give it a distinctive flavor. It is saltier than the Tuguegarao sausage.
Calumpit longganisa is pale in color and has a good blend of garlic and pepper flavors, with salt added.
Vigan longganisa has a culture of its own. It is best dipped in sukang Iloko or native cane vinegar. Since Vigan produces garlic, you can expect this longganisa to have the kick from this bulb spice. What makes Vigan sausage different is the addition of sukang Iloko, which gives it a bit of sourness. So if you happen to have such a longganisa, don’t suspect that it is stale.
This chat about longganisa has given me huge hunger pangs. I gotta get out of here and buy some kind of longganisa.
I plan to fry it well and brush it with homemade barbecue sauce. Then I’ll make a salad using salted egg, cubed cucumber, semi-ripe mango and thinly sliced white onion. I’ll drizzle it with lemonsito dressing (three pieces, juiced and mixed with coconut sugar to taste, salt and a bit of olive oil).
Brown rice is my choice for carbohydrate, to silence my guilt.