Kapampangan cuisine

Kapampangan dishes, including the varieties of sisig, at a Cabalen restaurant in Bulacan
Buro with mustard leaves and eggplant

Kapampangan cuisine (Kapampangan: Lútûng Kapampángan) differed noticeably from other groups in the Philippines.[1][2] The Kapampangan kitchen is the biggest and most widely used room in the traditional Kapampangan household.[3] When the Philippines was under Spanish rule, Spanish friars and sailors taught Kapampangans the basics of Spanish cooking.[4] The Kapampangans were able to produce a unique blend that surprised the Spanish palate. Soon, Spanish friars and government officials were entertaining foreign guests at the expense of Kapampangan households. In the late 18th century, the Arnedo clan of Apalit were commissioned by the colonial government to entertain foreign dignitaries, including a Cambodian prince and a Russian archduke.[5] Kapampangans were given the task of creating the meals and menus that were served in the proclamation of the First Philippine Republic in Malolos, Bulacan.[6]

Kapampangan dish displayed at the Santa Rita Pampanga Duman Festival

Some popular Kapampangan dishes include sisig, morcon, menudo, caldereta, estofado, embotido, asado, lengua, lechon, chicharon, afritada, bringhi (paella), tabang talangka (crab meat), the "tocino" or pindang including pindang damulag or carabao’s meat tocino and their native version of the longganisa. A unique Kapampangan dish that is well enjoyed by other ethnic groups is nasing biringyi (chicken saffron rice). Since nasing biringyi is so difficult to prepare, this unique Kapampangan dish can only be enjoyed during fiestas in Pampanga. It is comparable to Malaysian nasi briyani.[7]

Kapampangan dishes that remain a challenge to other cultures[8] include balo balo or burung bulig (mudfish fermented in rice) of Candaba, betute tugak (stuffed frogs) of Mexico and Magalang, adobung kamaru (mole crickets sautéed in vinegar and garlic), calderetang barag (spicy monitor lizard stew), kubang asu (sweet and spicy dog stew) of Macabebe and tidtad itik (duck stewed in blood) of Masantol.

Other heritage dishes include tidtad (dinuguan, a stew of fresh pig's blood, cooked with pork and liver), begukan (ribs and liempo cooked in pork & shrimp paste), hornong pistu (baked pork meatloaf of chorizo, ham and cheese),[9] asadong dila (ox tongue with sauce and castañas) and kilayin (chopped liver and lungs).[10]

  1. ^ Larkin, John A. 1972. The Pampangans: Colonial Society in a Philippine Province. University of California Press
  2. ^ Martinez, Angelito (February 7–8, 2018). "Pamanese The Art of Cooking, The Virtue of Caring" (PDF).
  3. ^ Castro, Alex D. r (June 7, 2007). "VIEWS FROM THE PAMPANG: 34. KUSINANG KAPAMPANGAN*". VIEWS FROM THE PAMPANG. Retrieved February 6, 2021.
  4. ^ Cordero
  5. ^ Gonzales, Gene R. 1993. Cocina Sulipeña: Culinary Gems from Old Pampanga. University of California
  6. ^ ibidem
  7. ^ "How to cook like a Kapampangan". Inquirer Lifestyle. September 2, 2020. Retrieved February 6, 2021.
  8. ^ "Top 10 Foods". Kapampangans. July 21, 2014. Retrieved February 6, 2021.
  9. ^ "These Kapampangans are bringing the best of Pampanga's heritage dishes to Manila". ABS-CBN. August 9, 2020. Retrieved September 1, 2024.
  10. ^ Comsti, Nino (August 6, 2020). "'Pindang damulag,' 'tidtad,' 'hornong pistu' heritage Capampangan dishes now in Manila". Retrieved September 1, 2024.