Manyaman
Queng San Fernandu
By
exploring different places, we can discover many wonders just like food. Food
has its own variety and when talking about food, one concrete example of a
place to consider visiting is San Fernando, Pampanga. Kapampangans (the people
of Pampanga) offer such authentic and contemporary dishes which, in geeky talk,
can make you forget yourself.
Kapampangans
offer rich culture of good food that reflects its richness in tradition and
practices. Many Filipino food enthusiasts know some good taste that anyone can
boast about. Kapampangans are one of them. Pampanga, being known as Culinary
Capital of the Philippines, offers different sumptuous dishes that are being
served in every home, restaurants and special gatherings.
First
stop, their famous sisig. Pampanga is also known to home the best sisig in the
land. A special dish cut from pig’s head, liver and then fried with minced pork
and onions. That is all served through the use of a platter, the sizzling
plate. Sisig is famous to be a good companion for liquor drinkers. A beer would
not be complete without having a sisig next to it. This dish also came from
Batangas City.
Next
on the list is tocino. When you say tocino or “pindang”, it has to be from
Pampanga. They make great processed tocino on the Philippines. Tocino is a
Spanish word that came from the word bacon or sometimes referred as cured meat.
A native version of Longaniza is also known in Pampanga but tocino fronts
everything.
Now,
if you are asking for exotic delicacies, San Fernando is really a place to stop
by. These exotic delicacies are one of the prides of Pampanga. One of these is
the famous “betute tugak” (deep fried stuffed frogs). This dish is composed of
fried field frogs with minced pork. This is also one of the reasons why
tourists love to eat here and explore different genre of food.
Along
with the “betute tugak”, the “kamaru” (cricket) is one of the exotic dishes in
Pampanga. The crickets are well-fried that’s why tourists and visitors really
enjoy their crunchiness. These are just some of the dishes and delicacies that
a Filipino, especially a Kapampangan, should be proud of.
Pampanga
has rich traditions that showcase their rich culture and traditions. Every
cuisine they prepare, they make sure that you can say how Kapampangan meal is
perfectly different from other locale.
By: Louie May Balingit
