The Taste of Ilocos Norte

Top 3 Foods to Die for @Ilocos Norte

3. Batac Empanada

Batac's empanada has a distinctive taste! It has a very healthy, mouth-watering ingredients, a filling grated young papaya, mung bean sprouts, chopped Ilocano longganisa, and whole egg, and is best eaten with sukang Iloco as its sawsawan (sauce).This empanada is characterized by an orange crust due to the use of achuete leaves which is the yummy dough that serves as a crispy wrapper and is made of rice flour that is deep-fried rather than baked.

2. Bagnet

No visit to Ilocos would be complete without eating bagnet, the signature dish in Ilocos Norte!

Bagnet is crispy fried pork belly where the lean meat is crispy but not dry and the pork skin with all the pork fat is fried to a crisp.


Though its compared to Chicharon and Lechon Kawali. It is not like them, not like Chicharon which is merely crispy pork skin nor a Lechon Kawali where a whole liempo is fried and cut into cubes so the only crispy portion is the pork skin,  bagnet is crispy from the skin, fat and the lean meat! It is usually served with a dipping sauce of Fish Paste (Bagoong Isda) with chopped red or white onion, tomatoes and green onions. 

1. Ultimate Fusion Pizza

Pizzas topped with a mouth-watering specialties of Ilocos Norte!

References:
Batac Empanada. http://doonposaamin.ph/stories/food-to-eat/batac-empanada-in-ilocos-norte#.VEp3Rha6_YE
Filipino Food Recipes. http://www.filipino-food-recipes.com/bagnet.html
Bagnet. http://www.pepper.ph/8-reasons-why-bagnet-is-better-than-a-boyfriend/
Fussion PIzza. http://www.ivanhenares.com/2009/05/pinakbet-pizza-dinuguan-pizza-poque.html