AN ORANGE DELICACY OF GOODNESS
A food review of the very famous Ilocano Empanada
Ilocos Norte is located in the Northern part of Luzon specifically Region I. Ilocos Norte is famous of whole lot of things like beaches which are actually found in all parts of Ilocos Norte most especially in Pagudpud; monuments like Paoay Church, Sinking bell tower, Lighthouse and etc; beautiful sceneries and the dazzling smell of the province and most especially their food. In Ilocos Norte there are plenty of cuisines that you can actually find and devour when you go there. One of these are Pinakbet, Bagnet, Longganisa, Dinakdakan, Sinanglaw and many more. Some cuisine may find a little bit weird because of their name but I assure you, once when it lands in your mouth you’ll absolutely crave for more. But the cuisine that we will probably talking about is their very famous, colorful, and mouth-watering Empanada.
Empanada is a famous snack in all parts of Ilocos Norte. It is originally made in Batac, Ilocos Norte. Empanada is very similar to what we know also the “empanadita” in some part of the Philipines, but actually two times the size. Empanada is orange in color and semi circular in shape like the empanadita. It is a snack that all Ilocanos eat whether it may be morning, lunch, afternoon, or even at midnight. Just like the empanadita, the empanada has an outer shell that is called in Ilokano “Pilais.” This Pilais is made out of flour and food coloring (mainly orange). Well, this wonderful snack would not be glorious without its inner ingredients right? The next ingredients are Mongo sprouts, egg, and one tasty Ilokano longganisa. Mix it all up, tuck it in and its ready to fry!
Tourists may find it difficult to eat an empanada because of its enormous size than the empanadita. But no matter where will you start biting and devouring that delightful snack, all you can taste is the Ilocano love that is found deep in that smoky hot orange delight. Vinegar or “Ilokano suka” is a very famous condiment that we Ilocanos put in our empanada, it adds a perfect taste that matches and blends with the longganisa, egg, and mongo sprouts. Either way, you may also put ketchup in your empanada to add a little bit of sweetness in it. You can eat empanada anytime you want, empanada can be a breakfast meal, your lunch when you are in a rush, an afternoon snack that you eat when you have a date with your lovely partner in life, or even at midnight when you are so sober after drinking and having fun with your friends, I tell you, empanada will ooze your hangover in the morning.
This very famous dish in Ilocos attracts not just Filipinos but also Tourists from aroud the world and also to visit the wonders of the Ilocos Norte and what the Ilocanos can give from their culture. This pastry illuminates every Ilocano people whenever people from different parts of the region or the world come by and try this delicious delicacy. If you are a tourists who is planning to come by here in Ilocos Norte, I highly suggest you to try our very famous, mouth-watering, and satisfying dish called the “Empanada”