Vigan Cuisine
Vigan cuisine is more than the iconic Vigan empanada, longganisa and kankanen. These Vigan must-tastes are just the tip of the culinary experience that can be had in this city. To ready the food adventurers, they must be informed that Vigan cuisine is simple and leans towards keeping the natural flavor of each ingredient, which are mostly vegetables. Ilocano dishes are characterized by sweet, sour or salty taste. Noteworthy is the favor towards bitter flavor that can be attested by its presence in its most-loved dish, the pinakbet. The pinakbet uses bitter melon, eggplant, squash and okra cooked with bagoong or fermented shrimp fry and bagnet or sun-dried pork belly, which is fried to a crisp prior to mixing with the vegetable.
Well-known Ilocano dishes like dinengdeng and dinoydoy are variations of pinakbet, although they are soupy. Gastronomes can scour not only the resorts, hotels and restaurants for great Vigan cuisine. It is best that they also try the food stalls in the plazas. Plaza Burgos is a great place to sample an order of arroz caldo or chicken porridge, pancit Vigan or soupy miki noodles and okoy or deep fried shrimps mixed with flour and eggs. Filipinos have these during regular meals or as snack food at anytime. They can be eaten on their own, paired with another or even with rice.
The food stalls or carinderias in the Vigan Public Market and near the bus terminal are also great places for culinary adventures. There one can sample local viands such as lumo (soup made with pork blood, pork tenderloin and green onions), pipian (cooked chicken and pazotes with ground rice), poqui-poqui (mashed eggplant with egg), caldereta (local beef stew), pinapaitan (bitter meat dish, made with either beef or goat bile and innards) and sinanglao (beef broth with beef innards) at its most authentic.
However, for visitors who want to taste Vigan cuisine in a more comfortable setting, the Vigan Heritage Mansion is recommended for its bagnet, dinengdeng, longganisa and pinakbet. A bottle of basi or local sugarcane wine is recommended as well. Another must-visit dining place is Café Leona. Café Leona offers international and Vigan cuisine and a fusion of both. It recently added in its menu pinakbet pizza, which is really for the adventurous and open-minded even among locals. For those who miss familiar food, resorts, hotels and restaurants offer a choice of international food which guest can also order for take-out or picnics.
Vigan cuisine is more than the iconic Vigan empanada, longganisa and kankanen. These Vigan must-tastes are just the tip of the culinary experience that can be had in this city. To ready the food adventurers, they must be informed that Vigan cuisine is simple and leans towards keeping the natural flavor of each ingredient, which are mostly vegetables. Ilocano dishes are characterized by sweet, sour or salty taste. Noteworthy is the favor towards bitter flavor that can be attested by its presence in its most-loved dish, the pinakbet. The pinakbet uses bitter melon, eggplant, squash and okra cooked with bagoong or fermented shrimp fry and bagnet or sun-dried pork belly, which is fried to a crisp prior to mixing with the vegetable.
Well-known Ilocano dishes like dinengdeng and dinoydoy are variations of pinakbet, although they are soupy. Gastronomes can scour not only the resorts, hotels and restaurants for great Vigan cuisine. It is best that they also try the food stalls in the plazas. Plaza Burgos is a great place to sample an order of arroz caldo or chicken porridge, pancit Vigan or soupy miki noodles and okoy or deep fried shrimps mixed with flour and eggs. Filipinos have these during regular meals or as snack food at anytime. They can be eaten on their own, paired with another or even with rice.
The food stalls or carinderias in the Vigan Public Market and near the bus terminal are also great places for culinary adventures. There one can sample local viands such as lumo (soup made with pork blood, pork tenderloin and green onions), pipian (cooked chicken and pazotes with ground rice), poqui-poqui (mashed eggplant with egg), caldereta (local beef stew), pinapaitan (bitter meat dish, made with either beef or goat bile and innards) and sinanglao (beef broth with beef innards) at its most authentic.
However, for visitors who want to taste Vigan cuisine in a more comfortable setting, the Vigan Heritage Mansion is recommended for its bagnet, dinengdeng, longganisa and pinakbet. A bottle of basi or local sugarcane wine is recommended as well. Another must-visit dining place is Café Leona. Café Leona offers international and Vigan cuisine and a fusion of both. It recently added in its menu pinakbet pizza, which is really for the adventurous and open-minded even among locals. For those who miss familiar food, resorts, hotels and restaurants offer a choice of international food which guest can also order for take-out or picnics.
Bagnet
If you haven’t ever tasted bagnet (boiled and deep-fried pork belly), you’re missing out on life. Imagine a huge slab of meat with crunchy golden skin that has been deep-fried to perfection. Dunk it in some vinegar, and you can have it for breakfast, lunch, dinner and dessert . You can find this delicious and cholesterol-rich dish served in most Ilocano Restaurants in Vigan.
Vigan Longganisa
Longaniza or longganisa in Filipino, is a kind of sausage that was first introduced by the Spaniards during the colonization era. It is closely similar tochorizo where in a ground pork is the main ingredient. Region by region has its own trademark in preparing it. But in the Philippines, the most famous maybe of its variants are the Lucban and Vigan.
Lumpianada
Here in Vigan You also got to try “lumpianada,” which combines the hefty lumpia (spring roll) and the usual assortment of vegetables found in it along with the traditional fillings for the Vigan Empanada, including longanisa and egg. It’s like lumpiang toge but with meat. Yum.
Empanada
One of the best things to eat in Vigan is definitely their empanada, a delicious patty stuffed with grated green papaya, toge or mung bean sprouts, shredded carrots, whole egg and skinless Vigan longganisa.
Dinakdakan
Dinakdakan is an appetizer dish made-up of boiled and grilled pig parts – in which ears, liver, and face (mascara) are the most commonly used; other parts such as stomach and intestines can also be utilized. Like bagnet, this goes great with beer! The dinakdakan na bagnet served at Happy Tummy, a budget family-style restaurant along Calle Crisologo, was pretty good.
Fusion cuisine
Aside from serving traditional Ilocano cuisine, some restaurants in Vigan, like Cafe Leona, offer unique takes on the staples with their fusion dishes. Interesting items include sizzling bagnet sisig, bagnet bacon maki, longganisa maki, Bagnet KBL Pizza, Longanisa Pizza, and Pinakbet Pizza, to name a few.
Tinubong
is a filipino delicacy made from rice flour,coconut meat and margarine. It is steamed in bamboo tube.
Vigan Basi
is a filipino alcoholic drink made here in Vigan. It is made of fermented sugarcane juice.