One of the best reasons to wake up to in the Philippines is having to enjoy a taste of freshly-cooked longganisa. No matter where you are in the country, at some point you will be greeted by this familiar links of meat that’s been heavily seasoned, encased in hog casings then hung on a market stall or already cooked on a plate served with garlic fried rice and egg of your choice. And whether you’re team de rekado (garlicky) or team hamonado (sweet), one thing is for sure—a side of spiced vinegar is needed to make every longganisa bite glorious, as it can be. Here are the different types of longganisa by region:
Pampanga Longganisa
Region: Pampanga
Kind: De Rekado, Hamonado
Appearance: Each link is usually longer in length than the usual sausages, can be cooked with or without casing, and is dyed orange or red with atsuete seeds.
Taste impression: Made with pork with a classic sweet and salty taste
Calumpit Longganisa
Region: Bulacan
Kind: Rekado
Appearance: Has a long and fat size, and a bit reddish
Taste impression: Garlicky and heavy pepper flavor with hints of sweetness and paprika, Bulacan also uses a leaner pork which makes it less fatty but a bit firm in texture
Vigan Longganisa
Region: Ilocos
Kind: Rekado
Appearance: Small and plump native sausage, good for about two to three bites and has a yellowish color
Taste impression: Savory variant, also with large chunks of garlic but this Ilocos variety has a distinct smoky flavor and slightly sour
Longganisa de Guinobatan
Region: Albay
Kind: Rekado
Appearance: Smaller than most, only at 2 inches per link
Taste impressions: Has a spicy and creamy flavor. The meat is manually chopped by hand, giving it a chunky texture
Cabanatuan Longganisa (Batutay)
Region: Nueva Ecija
Kind: Rekado, Hamonado, Skinless
Appearance: Plump and medium-sized
Taste impression: Beef is used instead of pork, which gives it a beefier, meaty flavor compared to others
Chorizo Negrense or Chorizo de Bacolod
Region: Negros Island
Kind: Rekado, Hamonado, Skinless
Appearance: Small and short sized, can be cooked with or without casing
Taste impression: Smokey and sour, made with vinegar, calamansi, and soy sauce which gives it its distinct taste
Chorizo de Cebu
Region: Cebu
Kind: Combination of rekado and hamonado
Appearance: It has a diminutive round shape and a vibrant red color
Taste impression: Sweet, spicy, and garlicky
Lucban Longganisa
Region: Quezon
Kind: Rekado
Appearance: Has a reddish color, long and slimmer length than the other sausages. Size depends on preference and source as well.
Taste impression: Made with Mediterranean spices like oregano and paprika, tons of garlic, and vinegar making it distinguishably salty and sour at the same time.
Pinuneg
Region: Cordillera Administrative Region
Kind: Rekado
Appearance: Long sausages stuffed into pig’s intestine. Rather than red, it’s more maroon in color due to the pig’s blood.
Taste impression: This variety is made with pig’s blood, minced pork fat, salt, red onions, ginger, and garlic.
Longganisang Ybanag or Tuguegarao Longganisa
Region: Cagayan Valley
Kind: Rekado
Appearance: Usually yellowish or orange in color, medium-sized length.
Taste impression: One of the most garlicky longganisa in the bunch, it is traditionally made with carabao meat and has a very distinct yellow hue from the use of atsuete (annatto).
Alaminos Longganisa
Region: Pangasinan
Kind: Rekado
Appearance: Each link is usually small, separated by a toothpick like wood called “buli”, this gives this longganisa its very unique appearance.
Taste impression: Prepared with a combination of pork meat and pork fat, it has a subtle flavor that is ideal to any kind of sauce.
Binalonan Longganisa
Region: Pangasinan
Kind: Rekado
Appearance: Encased in a sun-dried casing of pork intestine
Taste impression: Like Alaminos but no less flavorful. The pork sausage is flavored with garlic and soy sauce.
Imus Longganisa
Region: Cavite
Kind: Rekado
Appearance: Usually short to medium-sized
Taste impression: Cavite’s Imus variety has a blend of soy sauce, vinegar, annatto, and black pepper that gives the mostly lean pork and a great balance of salty and sour flavors
Baguio Longganisa
Region: Cordillera
Kind: Rekado and Hamonado
Appearance: Small and roundish sized
Taste impression: The rekado variant is marinated in basi which gives the strong sour taste
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