It’s a hugely popular bar chow dish made with chopped pork face, ears, and chicken liver served on a cast iron sizzling plate.

Sisig is originally from Pampanga province which is the (unoffiial) culinary capital of the Philippines, but it’s become ubiquitous throughout the Philippines. It was invented by Aling Lucing’s restaurant in Angeles City around the mid-1970s when a surplus of discarded pig’s heads from a former US air base gave her the idea for the dish.

To prepare, the pig’s head is boiled, broiled, and then grilled before being chopped up and seasoned with vinegar and calamansi juice. It’s served with chopped onions and chicken liver on a sizzling cast iron plate to keep the fat from going cold and turning into lard.

Sisig is traditionally made with pork though you can find other versions these days made with other proteins like tuna, squid, mussel, or oyster. You can even find more exotic versions made with crocodile or ostrich but pork sisig is still the best and the one you should try.

Recipes vary from place to place so it isn’t uncommon to find sisig made with things like mayonnaise, raw egg, ox brain, and chicharon bits. It’s usually consumed as a shared appetizer or bar chow dish.

Web editor: Wang Xiaoxuan

Reviewer1: Zhang Yanlan

Reviewer 2: Dai Shanshan

Reviewer3:Tang Caihong