Pampanga is notable for its tasty delicacies known all around the globe. Pampanga was known as the “Culinary Capital of the Philippines”. Almost all the tourists who visit the province say that Pampanga’s cuisine exhibits exotic and extraordinary flavor. Listed below are some of the best Kapampangan cuisines that satisfied the people.
Sisig
Every single story about Sisig from Pampanga will tell you that “Aling Lucing” or Luciana Cunanan from Angeles, Pampanga is the “Queen of Sisig” for she prepared the famous dish in a way that no one has done yet during her time. She used a hot sizzling plate and everyone loved the crispy version of this pig head parts and liver specialty and the rest is history.
Bringhe
If Spain has Paella, Pampanga has Bringhe and it’s an absolute must eat Kapampangan dish. Bringhe either uses pure glutinous rice (malagkit) or half regular rice and half glutinous rice. It has a rich taste due to the ingredients used like native chicken, coconut milk and luyang dilaw (turmeric). A combination of boiled eggs and green and red peppers are used to adorn the rice dish.
Burung Bulig
Not everyone is a fan of fermented foods but once you look beyond the smell, you’ll learn that the taste is exquisite. Burung Bulig uses mudfish and rice while balo balo makes use of shrimp and rice for the fermentation process. Burung Bulig is eaten as the main meal while balo balo is used as a dip for fried, roasted or grilled meat, fish, and vegetables. These two are an acquired tastes but both are worth it.
Bulanglang Kapampangan
Bulanglang Kapampangan is different to the commonly known Bulanglang Tagalog which is much like Pinakbet. What’s similar to this dish is Sinigang and the only difference is that it uses guavas to give it the acid taste. Prawns, pork and bangus belly are used and all the vegetables of sinigang like taro (gabi), onions, tomatoes, okra, kangkong and green chillies are used to make the dish. Like Sinigang, chililang Kapampangan has fish sauce and green chilli dip for total enjoyment.
Kamaru
Okay, this dish is for the brave ones. It’s an exotic dish made of mole crickets and it’s justifiable if you feel queasy about sampling it but do give this tasty dish a try and you won’t be sorry. They cook this in adobo style and deep fry it. They use soy sauce, vinegar, tomatoes, onions and garlic to create a spicy flavor while it gets its crunchy texture from frying. It’s a delicacy and everyone is encouraged to try this dish at least once in their life.
These dishes are some of the pillars of the Kapampangan cuisine. Pampanga won’t be notably known as the Culinary Capital of the Philippines if not for these dishes. These will surely make you say that, “Basta Pamangang Kapampangan, MANYAMAN!”
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