let’s talk about longanisa

longanisa, chorizo, filipino, food, sausage
our home-made longanisa is definitely burp worthy.

 

The smell. The taste. The utter deliciousness. All key experiences that link up to the magic of longanisa, or filipino sausage. Similar to it’s spanish cousin, chorizo, longanisa comes in a variety of forms and flavors, depending on the region that it is prepared in. According to the Jun Belen, author of the IACP’s Best Culinary Blog nominated site, blog.junbelen.com:

…”Longganisa is the Filipino counterpart made with native spices and ingredients. In her book Palayok, Filipino food writer Doreen Fernandez writes about the two general types of Filipino-style sausages: jamonado, which is sweet like ham, and de recado, which is spicier or vinegar-flavored.

The spices and flavorings used in making longganisa vary from town to town across the archipelago.  In the northern part of the island of Luzon, in a town called Vigan in Ilocos Sur, longganisang Vigan is marinated in garlic and basi or sugarcane vinegar.  Longganisang Lucban from Lucban, Quezon in the southern part of Luzon is made with oregano while the sausages in Pampanga, not far from Manila, are sweet and intensely garlic-flavored.  Traditional longganisa is made with ground pork and diced pork fat but versions that use chicken and beef abound.”

Regardless of the type of longanisa or region of the Philippines it is prepared in, one experience is consistent, memorable and always a sign of sarap (delicious) awesomeness: THE BURP.

Ask any filipino. The longanisa burp is one that should be declared a national treasure. It’s hearty, thick, powerful and pungent. A result of pork, herbs, and garlic. Lots of it.

Vampires and potential love interests, beware.

So how do we make it? Chef Warren says it best:

“We use pork shoulder, pork fat, smoked paprika, natural sea salt, sugar, and crap loads of garlic. No artificial coloring in our longanisa. It makes for stank breath for days!”

Can’t get much better than that.