THE BEST LAOAG FOOD
The best Laoag food is in Ilocos Norte and they are proud of their unique cuisine. The Best Food is available in many great restaurants. The local garlic is wonderful, also the local vinegar called sukang ilukois renowned and some compared with really good quality Balsamic vinegar.
The Top 6 Laoag Foods to Try
Bagnet (they pronounce this as bug-net) and is an Ilocano version of lechon kawali. These are pork squares that are boiled in a salty solution; then they are dried in the air; then they are deep fried twice until they become crisp and golden in color.
Pinakbet (they pronounce this as pee-nak-beht) and this a stew comprising long beans, eggplant, squash, tomatoes, bitter gourd and chilli peppers) It is like an Ilocano version of the French ratatouille
Longganisa (they pronounce this as long-gan-nisa) is a very strong tasting Ilocos sausage that is seasoned with local garlic. This is a little like Spanish Chorizo sausage.
Abrao (they pronounce this as ab-row) and this is a delicious vegetable dish cooked in a fish stock or broth.
Insarabsab (they pronounce this as in-sarab-sab) is this is grilled pig ears and the cheeks, and is the local Ilocano variation of sisig.
Empanada. (they pronounce this as em-pa-nada) This is the most popular street food in Ilocos Norte. Empanada is made from grated papaya, eggs and longganisa wrapped in an orange colored rice dough and is the top snack merienda in Northern Luzon.
Dont forget to try these other local Laoag food delicacies biscotcho crackers, cornicks crispy corn kernels, linga sesame seed, and tupig sticky rice.
Why not visit the local market for Laoag Food and local cooking ingredients to chichacorn crunchy corn bits or my favorite sweet potato chips. The central market is the best place to buy pasalubongs.
You also must try Ilocano delicacies such as dinakdakan which is grilled pig ear mixed with pig brain and mayonnaise, with onion and pepper to taste; also try igado which is pork meat and liver sautéd in vinegar and soy sauce, and of course bagnet which is deep fried pork belly best served with tomatoes and bagoong which is salted paste made from anchovies or shrimp and spring onion
More Great Laoag Food to Try
Some other great Laoag food treats are the local fruits all soaked in sukang iluko and they include my favorite which are green mango slices. Also there are the fruits karmay, singkamas, siniguelas, manibalang na papaya, green balayang bananas and even more local fruits. There are known locally as inartem, which means soaking. I call them drunken fruit. These go really great with a barbecued and fried pork, beef and chicken and even BBQ fish.
The secret of Ilocano cuisine is its simplicity. Like French cuisine it uses simple inexpensive ingredients. It is the peoples food!
An essential part of Ilocano cuisine are the bitter tasting dishes. This bitter taste is interwoven through grilled fish, meat stews and fresh garden salads. They are wonderfully balanced against sweet and sour and then salty. The use of sukang iluko really makes the difference.
On of the signature dishes is pinakbet which is vegetable stew that is made from bitter melon, squash, eggplant and okra with crisp pork belly bagnet. Also try puqui-puqui which is made from eggplant, tomatoes and eggs. Another dish is baradibud which is a delicious vegetable stew.
Also try a local dessert called bibingka.
Dulang Food Festival
If you like Ilocano cooking then the Dulang dinner Food Festival is for you. Special local dishes are prepared and cooked using weird looking utensils with strange names such as strangely sounding—banag, silyasi and dalikan
The very special Laoag Food dishes featured in Dulang are the Bagnet, which as we said is deep-fried super crunchy pork); Longganisa Ilocos which is preserved with natural spices and sugarcane vinegar; Dinakdakan which is a pig brain delicacy; Ilocano Dinuguan which is pork stewed in pigs blood); Diningding which is native vegetables in fish preserve and served with fresh grilled fish) and naturally Pinakbet
Pinakbet Festival
As we all know Pinakbet is the Ilocano signature dish. Pinakbet is a spicy mix of local fresh vegetables, along with around a kilogram of liempo pork, ginger, and lastly a spoon full of bagoong or fish preserve from Ilocos Norte. The secret as my sister-in-law says is not to overcook the vegetables.
During the Pinakbet Festivals in Laoag City guests are able to go house to house and taste the various versions, every house recipe is different. You can taste the many different styles of Pinakbet from stewed; or dry; or in oil; or those that use using fish or shrimp preserves. The Pinakbet Festival is often part of the Dulang Food Festival and is worth trying for authentic Laoag Food.
Laoag Food - Quality Restaurants
The best three quality Laoag Food dining experiences are Saramsan, La Preciosa and Ravanden’s which are all located on J.P.Rizal Street. These places are worth visiting if you are want gourmet standard local Laoag Food dishes. Click here for the best LAOAG CITY QUALITY RESTAURANTS
Laoag Food - Fast Food Restaurants
There are many popular Laoag Food restaurants for fast food and they cover everything from pizza, pasta, fried chicken and many local Ilocano favorites. Click here for the best LAOAG CITY FAST FOOD RESTAURANTS
Laoag Food - Other Restaurants
If you want a Laoag Food restaurant that is somewhere between fast and high quality gourmet then there are many great Laoag Food places to choose from. Click here for the best LAOAG CITY RESTAURANTS The best Laoag food is in Ilocos Norte.
