A Pig Deal: 5 Philippine Pork Dishes Seen at the Hog Festival 2024

Filipinos love pork and this year’s Hog Festival 2024 showcased over 300 varieties!

The Hog Festival 2024 held at the Gateway Mall in Araneta City last March showcased the country’s successful attempt to make a mark on the Guinness World Records and featured many varieties of pork dishes—inspired by the country’s different regions.

From lechon, sisig, sinigang na baboy to nilagang baboy and more, here are five different dishes we saw from participating restaurants, restaurateurs, and student chefs.

Ilocano Insarabasab

Cooked by Wilson Benedict Cariaga of LPU-Manila, the Ilocano dish features sliced pieces of grilled pork belly cooked together with lasuna or native onions. If you love onions and grilled meat, then this dish may be your thing, most especially with some veggies to go with it.

Tidtad from Pampanga

Dinuguan is one of the most common dishes and there are different variations including Pampanga’s Tidtad. Cooked by Lara Dizon from LPU-Manila, Tidtad is described as a “savory dish with pork meat, offal, and coagulated blood, stewed in a mixture of vinegar, and chilies.”

Eating pig’s blood may sound a little bit out of the box for some but it’s a dish worth trying.

Humbang Bisaya

There are different versions of humba. Some prefer theirs a little sour, but the Visayan version is different. It is a pork stew twice cooked in pineapple and mango sauce. Not everyone loves sweet sauces but this dish may change your mind.

Hamon Bulakenya

Who does not love a good ham, especially during the Christmas holidays? If you’re in Bulacan, the Bulakenya ham would probably be on your table. It is made with pork belly cooked in a sweet and savory sauce using pineapple, beer, and star anise. The sauce was then glazed in the pork belly before being cooked.

Now isn’t that hamonific!

Kinalas from Naga

Every region has a soup-based dish, and in Naga, it’s the kinalas. Kinalas is a pork noodle soup with broth made from a pig’s head, brain, and offal. It’s served with short noodles, zesty brown gravy, shredded pork, and fried garlic.

Kinalas is a Bicol word derived from “kalas,” which means “fall off the bone.” So if you’re in for a noodle dish and want something different, then try this one out!

So many cuisines to think about

Pork is a versatile ingredient and from the entries and dishes shown at the Hog Festival, Filipinos definitely will continue to come up with versions of their favorite staples. After all, cooking is all about experimenting and serving families.

Check out these easy pork recipes!

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