Sisig all the way

No respectable Filipino eatery worth its salt will be without sisig, that yummy cholesterol-laden Pampango pulutan served on a sizzling plate. Though the popular sisig is basically a concoction of chopped grilled pig’s cheeks and chicken liver, smothered with onions, red hot siling labuyo and calamansi juice that most of us are familiar with these days, its present appearance hasn’t always been so. It comes with a long history and evolution. Sisig, as we know it today, has evolved from the most basic snack of fresh green fruits, like unripe guavas, mangoes and papaya, to the more elaborate plated sizzling dish served as pulutan or viand taken with rice.

Baptism of Fire

My first introduction to sisig took place in the early 1970s, when, upon an invitation from a classmate from UP, I trekked all the way to Apalit, Pampanga to attend the town fiesta. As I entered my friend’s house, her father welcomed me like a true Pampango host: "Malaus ka tung. Mekeni, magpulutan ta pamu! (Welcome son. Come, let’s have some appetizer first!)" Of course, being the polite guest that I was, I had to partake somehow in the drinking (scotch or gin), never mind if it was oppressingly hot that early afternoon. But what caught my attention (short of being shocked, actually) was the pulutan I was being offered: A bowlful of some white gelatinous cubes, which at first, I thought was almond gelatin. "Strange combination, to have something sweet while drinking. This must be de rigueur here," I mumbled. As I bit a morsel of the gelatin, it was only then did I realize it was actually boiled pure unadulterated pork fat immersed in white vinegar, and nothing but. "Manyaman ya ing gewa kung sisig? (Is the sisig I made any good?)," asked the host, fishing for compliments. I had no recourse but to answer in the affirmative, even if I was squirming in my seat looking around where to spit the "gelatin." Finding no alternative, I had to gulp it down with a swig of gin. Needless to say, that was the start of my bout with gout. I got hooked on the search for the best sisig, but not this white kind, mind you.

Evolution of sisig

The earliest documentation of the word sisig is found in the 1732 Pampango-Spanish dictionary Vocabulario de la Lengua Pampanga en Romance by Fray Diego Bergano. According to Bergano, sisig refers to: A vinaigrette salad; an acidic hors d’oeuvre or snack of unripe mango, guava or papaya; anything that is fermented in vinegar; while the adjective mapanyisig refers to someone who is fond of snacking on sour food.

During that era, it was common practice for women in the early stages of infanticipation to nibble on sour fruits to relieve the discomfort of pregnancy. Sisig at this time would comprise simply of fruits dipped in vinegar and salt. As the pregnancy progressed, usually in the last trimester, the expectant mother would prepare a different version of sisig, this time, the dish is a concoction of boiled pig’s ears and tail then dipped in vinegar. The crunchy texture of the cartilage is believed to help make the growing fetus’ bones stronger. Over the years, however, it came to be a favorite pulutan by the menfolk on a drinking spree.

A star is born along da riles

In the mid 1970s, along Angeles City’s railroad junction, or Crossing as we call it (a.ka. Double Dead Park), was a row of barbecue stalls, which to this day are as popular as ever. One stall stood out and had become practically an institution. Aling Lucing is the name, and the lady who owns it is credited for coming up with the idea of serving sisig in large quantities. As it was, it took a lot of pig’s ears and tails to meet the growing demands. Up to that time, the sisig that was served was the traditional one, merely a mix of boiled and chopped pig’s ears seasoned with vinegar and spices. Aling Lucing then thought of using the pig’s cheeks and snout that yielded more meat, and aside from simply boiling it, she went a step further by grilling it to a crunch, adding chopped chicken liver, and seasoning it with onions, calamansi, and siling labuyo.

Not too far from the Crossing, another local establishment, Sisig Benedict, gave sisig a new life and a presentation that we have become familiar with and has become a standard in the industry – they served sisig on sizzling plates. But even during that time, sizzling sisig was only popular among the locals and accidental tourists. It wasn’t until Trellis Restaurant opened in 1980 in Quezon City (behind Quezon City Hall on Kalayaan corner Matalino Sts.) that many Metro Manilans had their first taste of this Pampango delicacy. Trellis was an instant hit (and still is to this day), and so was its sizzling sisig. It started the bandwagon of the restaurant/grill genre and the sizzling craze has caught on.

The sisig has undergone many makeovers and variations, from an exclusively invigorating food for pregnant women to pulutan to ulam ng bayan, that the women of yore wouldn’t recognize it in its present form. In some establishments in the metropolis, it is served with egg much, like a torta of ground pork! And for the more health-conscious, variants have been concocted for a cholesterol-free dish – out of squid, tuna, shrimp or chicken. (Nowadays, it seems that just about anything served on a sizzling plate is called sisig.) Marina Restaurant (of Ilonggo persuasion) on Jupiter St. in Makati City serves an excellent chunky tuna sisig smothered with tuna roe. J Gamboa of Cirkulo on Pasay Road serves a spicy sisig made with suckling pig’s head. I’ve tried one in the beach house of Billy and Marlene Mondoñedo in Siargao that was made with leftover lechon head and, in the absence of chicken liver, pate de foie gras! It was the ultimate sin one could commit, simply potent and deadly. It’s to die for, or should I say, to die of. Still and all, sisig, in whatever guise, basically remains the same – in spirit at least, that of being a reason to come together. Capampangans are truly social creatures who love to gather to celebrate just about anything. Sisig and the Capampangans are simply inseparable.

A Sizzling Event

This Saturday, May 17, at 5 p.m, the first Giant Sizzling Sisig Festival will be launched at The Strip in Balibago, Angeles City (the service road along MacArthur Highway, right across the Angeles Casino.) A humongous 16 feet x 32 feet x 1/4 inch steel plate will be specially manufactured for the event, necessitating some 360 kilos of pig’s cheek (courtesy of Monterey), 120 kilos chicken liver, 120 kilos white onions, 40 liters soy sauce, 60 kilos calamansi and 10 kilos of siling labuyo. Some 100 students from Holy Angel University—Hospitality and Restaurant Management Department (HAU-HRM) were enlisted to ensure the success of this momentous event. To top it all, representatives from the Guinness Book of World Records and Globe Trekker’s Ian Wright of Discovery Travel and Adventure will be documenting the occasion. An open-air live band concert, cultural presentation, and shopping at the night market along the 500-meter Strip will be held till the wee hours. The public is invited to come and join the street party.

Walang Sisigan
Approx. 1/2 pig’s head, quartered
8 cups water
2 cups pineapple juice
1 Tbsp. whole black peppercorn
4 pcs. chicken liver
1 Tbsp. iodized salt

Seasoning:
1 cup white onion, chopped
1/4 cup sukang puti
1/4 cup calamansi juice
salt and pepper to taste
siling labuyo, optional

In a stockpot, place water, pineapple juice, salt, peppercorn, chicken liver and pig’s head. Cover stockpot and bring to a boil until meat becomes tender, approximately 30 minutes. Remove meat from stockpot and allow to cool to room temperature. Debone and put in bamboo skewers together with chicken liver. Grill over charcoal until skin becomes brown and crisp. Cut the pork and liver into small cubes. Mix the seasoning and serve on a hot skillet.

Pahabol: In the absence of pig’s head, substitute with 1 kilo bagnet or lechon kawali. It will be a knockout just the same.

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For information regarding the Giant Sisig Festival, contact Irish C. Calaguas of the Angeles City Trade and Investment Promotions Office at (045)322-0976 and (045)893-0345.