As West Visayas State University commemorate our University Week Celebration 2012, we made sure to have the taste of WVSU at the Integrated Laboratory School (ILS) cafeteria’s specialty: Sisig. That may sound quite odd considering that this is not a usual “tambay” spot where you could enjoy your ice-cold drinks, but, this is much better because you could actually eat it anytime. That is, if there are still stocks left. The 1st stall (in the left) will let you wonder why people will say, “Isa gne ka sisig” or “One serve of sisig please”, one after the other. A friend of ours made us order a serving to-go. Like, seriously. What is with this sisig that enables those who have not yet digested it fully burp the “sisig aroma”?
The term “sisig” is a word that originated from Pampanga (a province in the island of Luzon, Philippines), which means ‘to snack on something sour.' ‘Something sour' usually refers to unripe or semi-ripe fruits that are sour to taste (such as mango) and eaten with salt and vinegar dip. In mid-1974, Lucia Cunanan, a lady restaurateur in Angeles, has invented the original pork ‘sisig' dish. The pig ears and cheeks were boiled until tender; and chopped them into small cubes. The meat was generously seasoned with vinegar and calamansi juice; then served with chopped onions, chopped grilled chicken liver -- on sizzling plates.She has been acknowledged by the Philippine Department of Tourism as the ‘Sisig' Queen when her restaurant had established the City of Angeles in Pampanga as the ‘Sisig Capital of the Philippines.' The word “sisig” is also used to describe a method of food preparation that marinates fish and meat (particularly pork) in sour concoction - lemon juice or vinegar - and seasoned with pepper, salt, and other desired spices (such as garlic or green onion leaves).
Back at WVSU - Me: “4 gne ka sisig, ang isa take-out, kag tatlo ka rice palihog. Pila ni tnan?” or “4 servings of sisig please, 1 for to-go, and 3 serving of rice please. How much would everything be?”
Girl: “Isdog lg d, Day!”
Everyone: *Whew* look.
The 3 Stages of Sisig Preparation (from QueenCleo):
As if chopping everything is not enough work, the preliminary preparation of “sisig” requires 3 types of cooking: boiling, grilling (or broiling), and frying of the pig's head (deboned with only the snout, cheeks, and ears included).
1. Boil - to tenderize the pig's head so that deboning and cutting into smaller parts will be easy
2. Grill/Broil/Barbecue- to remove the hair from the pig's head and to give the authentic smoky taste
3. Fry/Sauté - to crisp the meat and to sauté with garlic, onions, and other desired spices
“Sisig” has always been served in sizzling hot plates but many variations had been introduced by adding raw egg, chicharon (pork or chicken crisp/cracklings, or beef rind), liver (pork or chicken), mayonnaise, or brain (pork or ox). Since not all people like to eat fatty and oily dishes, local chefs have concocted different versions of ‘sisig,' using other ingredients such as: chicken, tuna, bangus, squid, and tofu.
Anyway, enough said about that, the sisig, was worth it for Php28. Eventhough there was a sisig hike we went back to our building on high with this cholesterolific and spicy journey. To tell you frankly, it could have tasted better if it was hot, considering it was still 11:00 AM, we assumed it would be fresh by then. But it was not “sum-od” and you could crave for it endlessly. Looking forward to eating this again. Now we need to believe what the Sisig Squad claims. What can you be proud of at your school?
Comment on how you love our WVSU’s SISIG. xoxo, FI
