Top 5 Must-Eats in Pampanga
Just like Iloilo, Pampanga is popular for its delightful gastronomic attractions, making it known as the “Culinary Capital of the Philippines”.
Kapampangan food is famous among tourists because of the one-of-a-kind gastronomic experience that it marks to everyone’s palate. There are a lot of native flavors that you can find in Pampanga and to give you an idea on what to try first on your next visit, here are some of the local dishes that you must eat here aside from the popular Batute (frog) and Kamaru (crickets).
SISIG
It is believed that Sisig is an original Kapampangan dish that has already been part of Pampanga’s rich history.
Unlike the usual sisig that we usually have as staple in carinderias and sometimes, pulutan, the original recipe of Kapampangan Sisig was a vegetable salad. Meat was only added to the recipe later on until it became purely meat made of chopped pig face and ears.
Aside from pig face and ears, chicken liver and pig brain are also mixed to the dish to make it more flavorful. It is best when topped with lots of onions and seasoned with calamansi.
PAKO SALAD
Pako or Fiddlehead Fern is abundant in the wild in Pampanga. Thus, a dish with pako as the main ingredient was invented.
Pako Salad is one of the local dishes which are purely Kapampangan. It’s a green salad featuring pako. It is usually mixed with tomatoes and onions and topped with salted eggs. A drizzle of vinaigrette completes the Pako Salad experience.
TOKWA’T BABOY
Probably one of the most popular Pinoy dishes, Tokwa’t Baboy is best tasted in Pampanga. This dish which is made of golden fried tofu with pig ears gets its flavor from the home-made soy sauce which balances the rich taste of the meat. It also comes with celery and tomatoes on top, making the dish extra mouthwatering and flavorful.
SINIGANG SA BAYABAS
If there is one home-cooked dish that will never disappear in every Filipino table, it would be Sinigang. You would agree if we will say that every province in the Philippines has their own version of Sinigang.
Known for its sour soup, the usual sinigang we know uses tamarind or kamias to achieve the right sourness. In Pampanga, their version of sinigang uses guava or bayabas as the souring agent. Sounds weird, but it doesn’t taste weird at all once you try it.
GINATAANG KUHOL
This might be a challenge to many, but for the Kapampangans, it’s just another local dish served even in restaurants.
Kuhol or golden apple snails are usually found in the ricelands of Pampanga. And to make use of them, they concocted “Ginataang Kuhol”.
Basically, the snails are cooked in coconut milk just like other ginataan dishes and mix it with spices such as ginger, garlic, pepper and chili. Sometimes, they also put bagoong or shrimp paste for a more adventurous taste.
Pampanga has a lot to offer when it comes to food. And they are just waiting for you to be indulge and explored!
And now, you don’t have to wait for the weekend to have this kind of sidetrip as Cebu Pacific has direct flights to and from Iloilo and Clark daily! Book your next adventure in Clark now and #MakeFirstMomentsHappen while enjoying their rich gastronomic offerings.
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