Pampanga Food Country

Pampanga is where a large share of the country's professional cooks come from, and the province eats accordingly. Sisig, now on menus worldwide, was built here from pig's head and ear, boiled then grilled then chopped and served sizzling with calamansi and chilli; Angeles City is where it took its present form. Around it sits a wider repertoire: sweet cured tocino, garlicky longganisa, kare-kare thickened with ground peanut and rice, buro of fermented rice and fish eaten with vegetables, and the frankly challenging camaru, mole crickets, and betute, stuffed frog. Nothing on the pig is wasted, and that principle runs through the whole cuisine.

What you actually see

• Sisig - chopped pig's head grilled and served on a hot plate with calamansi and chilli.
• Cured pork - sweet red tocino and garlic longganisa, sold raw by the kilo in every market.
• Buro - fermented rice and fish paste eaten with blanched vegetables and fried fish.
• Camaru and betute - mole crickets and stuffed frog, still cooked and eaten locally.

When to go

Year-round. December is when the province is at its fullest, with Christmas cooking and the lantern makers of San Fernando working through the nights before the giant lantern competition. Markets are best in the morning for cured meat; the eating places fill at lunch and again in the evening.

Honest expectations

There is no single food street to walk; the province is spread out and you need a car and a plan, or a booked food tour, to eat well in a day. Sisig outside Pampanga is often a poor imitation with mayonnaise, and even locally quality varies. The heat and the richness make a full day of eating hard going. Camaru and betute are seasonal and often not available.

Nearby

Mount Pinatubo trailheads are north of the province; Manila is under two hours south by expressway.