Pampanga has always enjoyed the title " The Culinary Center of the Philippines". Pampanga cooking always manages to concoct up its own version of the latest food craze, and often they end up being better because of its use of native ingredients. Pampanga is widely acknowledged to possess exceptional cooks and Kapampangan cuisine... some of the well-known chefs are Claude Tayag and Abe Cruz. Pampanga cuisine is highly regarded as one of the most delicious cuisine in the Philippines. Their dishes are highly flavorful and true to themselves. Their secret??? it's the slow cooking method they use when they prepare their dishes. They do not make shortcuts when they cook.
I have joined 2 culinary tours to Pampanga and in those tours --- the food served to us was always superb. Some of their cuisine which I really enjoyed were SISIG - which were made out of pork cheeks, grilled to a crunchy perfection, chopped into tiny bits mixed with chicken liver, onions, calamansi and small red peppers which we call labuyo, PINDANG DAMULAG - which is sweet cured pork or carabeef, BURONG TALANGKA - which comes from the fat of salt-preserved little crabs, BALO-BALO - which is fermented rice with small shrimps, and BETUTE - stuffed frogs. If you decide to go on one of these culinary tours...I would adviseyou to skip your breakfast and save it for the sumptuous meals you will be tasting on the culinary tours.
