Longaniza or longganisa are chorizos flavored with local spices. Each region in the Philippines produces its own longaniza, each with distinct characteristics. Some towns and cities produce popular varieties.Few people realize that
longanizas are not only found in the Philippines. One can encounter them in Spain where they are originally from and other areas with Spanish influences such as Mexico and the rest of Latin America. Classic Spanish sausages include
chorizos,
longanizas,
sobrasadas,
morcillas,
butiffaras,
salchichas and
salchichones.
I've always wondered why native sausages made all over the Philippines are all called
longaniza or
longganisa when in most countries, sausages are given various names depending on the place of origin, ingredients and varieties. While
longaniza is the name for native sausages in the Philippines, in some parts of the Visayas and Mindanao,
choriso,
soriso or
tsoriso are more common terms. So I'm starting this series in the hopes of documenting the different varieties of
longaniza.
Most
longganisas in the Philippines fall under two categories:
hamonado (sweet or
matamis) and
derecado (garlicky or
mabawang, sour and/or salty). Do check this entry regularly since I will be updating it and placing the hyperlinks as I upload new posts.
This Laoag longganisa is from the San Nicolas Public Market. The version is San Nicolas are said to be juicier (and more lethal) than the ones in Laoag itself since they contain more fat. These longganisas are finely-ground, on the salty side and fall in the derecado garlicky (or mabawang) category. Unlike the Vigan longganisa, Laoag has minimal vinegar or contains none at all.
