|
Orange, shell-shaped, with a smell that lingers in the air
and stays at the tip of the nose is the infamous empanada of Cagayan.
You can usually find it sold by street vendors. It’s made of
one whole egg, shredded cabbage, and toge without the roots encased in a
wrapper made of rice flour mixed with water and orange food color and is
deep-fried in oil.
The color is what attracts passersby. In a very affordable
price of Php20.00, you can already have one. And if you want something more unique,
you can try the ‘Special Empanada’, which has an additional longaniza, or in
other places, they also offer tocino for only Php25.00.
However, in my opinion, I didn’t like the toge without the
roots that much. At first, it is okay but as I consume more, I start to unlike
it and put it aside. The Sukang Ilocos, which is its usual partner, or
sometimes Catsup makes the empanada more delicious. But I like the vinegar
more.
The empanada can be bigger than an adult hand or smaller.
When compare to other vendors, there’s this one that has the wrapper tastier
and with the evidence of salt in the ingredients and another quite watery in
the inside and a lame taste of the wrapper, obviously without the taste of
salt.
So if you like the best empanada in Cagayan, best find the
one that has the long line of people and make sure it’s what will make your
first taste of Cagayan Empanada, worth the travel.
Yours truly,
Apple Cider
