Sisig sans the 'sizzling.'

SISIG USED to be one of my least favorite dishes, mainly because I thought it tried so hard to be many flavors at once that it often failed. Even the name sounded mediocre. During birthday parties from friends and families, I would cringe when sisig was part of the menu and that I'd be forced to sample.

In college, however, I came across this place near the my school, the University of Santo Tomas (UST), which served sisig—the crispy, tasty, the not-quite-there kind. After coming back to it a couple of times, I concluded that it was the “one true sisig” to beat.

Yet, on a recent trip to Angeles City, Pampanga, I realized that there is no “one true sisig’’ after all, but at least 20!

Last weekend, I participated in the annual Sisig Fiesta of Angeles City, Pampanga, organized by the Department of Tourism (DOT) as part of the month-long Flavors of the Philippines nationwide festivities this April.

Sisig Fiesta opened with a sisig creation demonstration by two renowned gastronomists: fusion cuisine master Chef Sau Del Rosario, and Kapampangan heritage chef Aching Lilian Borromero.

I learned from Aching Lilian that the original sisig wasn’t the sizzling kind that is popular throughout the country—with the egg, soy sauce, and kalamansi; the original sisig is sour and almost like kilawin (ceviche)—tangy with a strong flavor for those not accustomed to the Asian palata. It is not oily nor burnt, and is amply spicy. In fact, Aching Lilian shared that sisig was not originally all-meat, but infused with fruits, herbs and leafy vegetables like pako (fiddleferns).

From veggie, to meat-based, to sizzling, to national favorite

The term ‘sisig’ could be to traced to as early as 1732, in the Kapampangan dictionary written by Spanish friar Fra Diego Bergaño, which meant “sliced into long shreds and pieces,” close to mincing or julienning. ”Sisig” was thus the process, and not the dish.

Colonial Kapampangans would enjoy their sisig with mangga (mangoes) and other vegetables doused in vinegar. One fact remains true, however, and it's that sisig, from the start, has always been a pulutan (finger food).

The entry of what we now know as the 'classic sisig' marked the its transition from purely veggie-based, to meat-based. From then on, the vegetable sisig was forgotten. During the American occupation, airmen and navy men from Subic and Clark Airbase would consume vast amounts of pork, but would leave the heads. Angeles residents would buy the discarded pork heads at a very low price and would whip up pork sisig from pig ears and faces.

CLASSIC. Kapamgpangan heritage chef Ms. Atching Lilian Borromero showcased her classic sisig—the typical sisig before the boom of Aling Lucing’s sizzling sisig, during the Sisig Fiesta of Angeles City last April 22. Classic sisig is relatively simple, being made of minced pig face meat and ears, then doused in vinegar and kalamansi juice.

The dish is similar to ceviche/ (kinilaw).

In the 1970s, sisig reached national prominence when Lucia “Aling Lucing” Cunanan grilled and sizzled sisig. It instantly became a hit across the country, and people began flocking to Pampanga to the “mother of sizzling sisig.” Aling Lucing’s sisig gave prominence to Angeles City which was slowly becoming the culinary capital of the Philippines.

Chef Sau's 'avant-garde' Sisig

Next, I sampled Chef Sau’s “Avant-Garde” sisig, a modern take on the classic sisig. It was very flavorful, hearty, and tasty. It’s unlike any sisig I've ever had. Chef Sau’s creation consisted of seared lean portions of pork and pork brain, seasoned with light vinegar, and finally, topped with poached egg and small strips of green mango. It was slightly tangy and sour but very spicy. True to its name, it carries sisig forward to greater potentials in the culinary world.

Two down... 20 to go

I continued on to the second half of the program which showcased 20 other variants of sisig, ranging from the ordinary to the exotic. The repertoire of the Kapampangan favorite was overwhelming—there was tinapa (smoked fish flakes) sisig, balut sisig, lechon (pork suckling) sisig, sisig asan (fish), shrimp sisig, laing (taro) sisig, sisig tugak (frog), sisig ensalada (salad greens), sisig pizza and nachos n’ sisig in cheese, chicken sisig, beef and pork sisig, tuna and salmon, and I managed to try all of them, but my most, most favorite was tinapa sisig because I’ve always been drawn to smoky flavors.

Indeed, there is a sisig for every kind of palate and any kind of fan, and that’s just in Pampanga! Imagine other places in the country inventing their own sisig! Renowned chef and TV host Anthony Bourdain has, in fact, featured the Philippine sisig at least twice in his shows – one was Aling Lucing’s in Angeles City, and the most recent one was in his show “Parts Unknown” where he enjoyed a plateful in the streets of Malate, a district of Manila. “Nothing could come between me and my sisig,’’ Bourdain declared.

It’s often difficult to emulate home-style goodness of food from the countryside in an urban setting—this I always believe after having different dishes from restaurants in Manila which became famous first in the provinces such as Ted’s datchoy from Iloilo, Razon’s halo-halo from Pampanga, or Chic Boy's Cebu lechon from Cebu.

So if you want to discover the real flavor of a dish, get to its roots—go back to where it came from – just like what I did during my Angeles City trip. There is nothing like relishing the original sisig right where it was conceived, refined, polished and finally, served in perfection.