Longaniza (Spanish pronunciation: [loania], or American Spanish: [loanisa]) is

a Spanish sausage (embutido) similar to a chorizo and also closely associated with
the Portuguese linguia. Its defining characteristics are interpreted differently from region to region.
It is popular in the cuisines of several regions of Spain, Puerto Rico, Dominican Republic, El
Salvador, Mexico, Chile, Argentina, Uruguay and the Philippines.

Spain[edit]
In Spain, longaniza are long thin salchichn that differ from chorizo in that they substitute black
pepper for paprika and may have different spices like nutmeg.[1]

Argentina and Uruguay[edit]

In Argentina and Uruguay, longaniza is a very long, cured and dried pork sausage that gets its
particular flavour from ground anise seeds. This results in a very particular aroma, and a mildly
sweet flavour that contrasts with the strong salty taste of the stuffing. It is used mainly as
an appetizer or in sandwiches, and very rarely cooked.

Chile[edit]
In Chile, longaniza may be eaten during a barbecue with bread as a choripan. The city of Chilln is
known for its longanizas. Chilln's football team ublense are nicknamed The Clockwork
Longaniza (Spanish:La longaniza mecnica). During the festivities of the 18th of September,
longaniza is prepared in great quantities.

Mexico[edit]
Mexican longaniza tends to be longer than Mexican chorizo and is spicier.[2]

Puerto Rico[edit]
Puerto Rican style longanisa is made of pork, but also is made with chicken or turkey. The red
orange color is from the addition of annatto seeds. Rice with longaniza is a popular dish.

Dominican Republic[edit]
Since colonial times, Dominican style longaniza has been prepared with the juice of bitter oranges
(or lime), garlic, oregano and salt. For the casing, pork intestines are used. Then the longaniza is left
to cure in the sun for some days. It is eaten fried in its own fats or in vegetable oil. Quality varies
considerably because it is generally home-made. Best quality longaniza usually has a 70% lean fat
content.

Philippines[edit]
Longganisa refers to sausages flavoured with indigenous spices, with each region or province
having its own variation.[3] Among others, Lucban is known for its garlic-laden longanizas (derecado,

"spiced"); Guagua for its salty, almost sour, variety. Longganisang hamonado (from
the Spanish: longaniza jamonada), by contrast, is known for its distinctively sweet taste.
Unlike Spanish chorizo, Filipino longganisa can also be made of chicken, beef, or even tuna.
Commercial varieties are made into links, but homemade sausages may be simple patties. [3]

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
includechorizos, longanizas, sobrasadas, morcillas, butiffaras, salchich
as and salchichones.
I've always wondered why native sausages made all over the
Philippines are all calledlonganiza 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 ormatamis) 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.

Longaniza (Filipino: longanisa) are Philippine chorizos flavored with indigenous spices. Longaniza making has
a long tradition in the Philippines, with each region having their own specialty. Among others, Lucban is known
for its garlicky longanizas; Guagua for its salty, almost sour, longanizas. Longganisang
hamonado(Spanish: longaniza jamonada), by contrast, is known for its distinctive sweet taste. Unlike Spanish
chorizos, longanizas can also be made of chicken, beef, or even tuna.

I am supposed to write a blog regarding Aklan, but nevermind I think this is more edgy. Since summer is
at its peak, people in the metropolis go on vacation in various parts of the Philippines in order to escape
the excruciating heat of the sun. If there is one thing that bakasyonistas (a Tagalog slang for people on
vacation) need to experience before they leave a certain place, I recommend that they taste the culinary
extravaganza of the locality aside from enjoying scenic views and other adventures. One thing unique
regarding Filipino cuisine is that there are specific food where each town or province has a rendition to
offer like the Filipino breakfast favorite, the longganisa (Filipino sausage; chorizo). That being the case,
vacation will also become a cultural imprint of food genealogy based on the long and short Filipino
sausage.
My love affair with longganisa started out when I was young. I vividly recall those little oval-shaped, bite
sized, sweet and caramelized ground meat sucked into pigs intestines then simmered and fried to
perfection. The joy of eating it at breakfast is complemented withsinangag (fried rice), egg and brewed
coffee. It was really enjoying food without pretension like when I am eating Jollibees tamisanghang (sweet and spicy) spaghetti or Goldilocks ube(yam) cake after accompanying my mother to the
church on Saturday mornings. Growing up, I began to notice that longganisa has a lot of varieties and it
depends on where it was purchased. My aunt was the one who exposed me to the variation since she
often visited places and brought home longganisa of various shapes, sizes and taste.

Vigan in Ilocos and Lucban in Quezon are two provinces in the Philippines that share prominence when it
comes to longganisa making. Vigan and Lucban longganisa are both garlicky and peppery. However,
Vigans version is smaller but thicker compared to Lucbans which is thinner but longer in proportion. Also,
Vigans longganisa is lighter in color most probably because of achuete seeds while Lucbans is quite
darker. If my observation is right, Lucbans longganisa is too reddish nowadays because of
high salitre (curing salt; Prague powder) content, which I think should be reduced to smaller amounts.

Similar to Vigan longganisa is the Pangasinan version. It is comparably smaller than Vigans but
nonetheless it is at par with other versions in terms of taste. Pangasinan longganisa is quite unique as
well since two toothpicks are used to hold the sausage mixture in place. If fried, the golden color and the
protruding toothpicks add wittiness and style to the presentation. It definitely looks like a cute cushion
when cooked. In Visayas, I only tasted one longganisa recipe, the Cebu version. Cebu longganisa is
comparably small (the smallest I have seen so far), oval in shape, sweet, reddish and almost caramelized
when already fried. The taste is reminiscent of the sweet longganisa manufactured by Pampangas Best.
Kids will probably love the taste and overall look of this version.

I am also proud that my own province has this fair share of longganisa recipe. In Bulacan, the town of
Calumpit is famous for its special longganisa. It is probably the best longganisa I ever tasted. Even my
colleagues at the Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas back then also thought the same thing when I decided to
bring some for lunch. I read somewhere (probably on Yes! Magazine) that Calumpit longganisa is Kris
Aquinos personal favorite. It was mentioned in the article that she first tasted it during the taping of her
film "Sukob" and from then on she keeps on ordering the revered sausage. As far as I know, Calumpit

longganisa is only available in a stall at the Calumpit town market where an old woman used to make it. I
remember that my aunt would place an order in advance before we can have the luxury to savor the
special sausage. Last week, in celebration of my friends arrival from the United States, I specifically
requested another friend of mine to serve Calumpit longganisa as the main dish for our intimate luncheon.
I am delighted to say that the quality of Calumpit longganisa is still the same explosively garlicky,
peppery, not fatty and truly comforting.
It might be long. It might be short. It does not matter. My Filipino sausage sojourn will continue unless I
die because of high cholesterol. Like suka (vinegar), patis (fish sauce), and other food of cultural
importance to the Filipino, longganisa, the proudly Filipino sausage, depicts the rich cultural heritage of
the Philippines; its cultural diversity exemplified and wrought through food.