Around Metro Manila, eateries selling Sisig have started to mushroom from time to time. Served on a sizzling plate, Sisig never fails to capture the senses of those who eat it. As renowned chef Anthony Bourdain would describe it-“a divine mosaic of pig parts, chopped and served sizzling and crisp on one side on a screaming hot platter”. The visual aspect of this dish alone would make tongues wag and eyes sweat. The sound emitted from the extremely hot plate reminds one how it was thoroughly cooked to make a delectable dish. The burnt smell of charred meat soaked in sour juices is like an aphrodisiac, seducing you towards a juicy reward. Finally, the taste of it, crispy yet juicy just overwhelming, it gives one a feeling that they taste something exotic yet it’s found anywhere else in the world.
Sisig is came from a Kapampangan term, which means to “snack on something sour”. This term usually refers to fruits, both ripe and unripe, marinated in either salt or vinegar. Moreover, marinated meat or seafood in vinegar or salt may be considered as Sisig. In relation to this, the earliest record of Sisig was in an 18th century dictionary compiled by Diego Bergaño, an Augustinian friar based in Mexico, Pampanga, he defined Sisig as a vegetarian salad tossed with green papaya and guava drenched in a concoction of salt, vinegar, garlic and pepper. On the other hand, our Sisig is a genuine Philippine food but has also went through a lot of changes through time. Sisig Babi is predecessor of what we know of Sisig today. It consists of boiled pig’s ears and jowl, that is thinly sliced and mixed with pig liver and brain, that gives it a creamy taste, and topped with chilies, onions and peppers. The sizzling Sisig was pioneered by Aling Lucing, a Pampanga native who owned a food stall near the railroad tracks. Aling Lucing made two key additions to the original Sisig Babi, she broiled and grilled the meat after it was boiled then served it on a hot sizzling plate. In memory of the Sisig Queen, an annual Sisig festival is held every December to showcase the culinary prowess of Chefs around the country and to give homage to the person, who made it a world-wide sensation, Aling Lucing.
From a rail side eatery, Sisig is now a source of national pride. Now, chefs have experimented with the taste of Sisig by using various ingredients such as frog, ostrich, and snake to name a few. While some have shunned away from the sizzling plate and have mass produced Sisig for everyday consumption, these can be found in the form of canned and frozen goods. From a pregnant woman’s snack of unripe sour fruits in the olden days to a bar chow and family viand in recent decades, Sisig has truly gone a long way.