What Is Ilocano Food 

What Is Ilocano Food. Ilocano food is the traditional cuisine of the Ilocano people of northern Luzon, including Ilocos Norte and Ilocos Sur. It is known for dishes made with local vegetables, fish, pork, garlic and ingredients preserved through fermentation or pickling. In Laoag and throughout Ilocos Norte, you can experience this cooking in restaurants, small eateries, markets and family homes, where recipes and preparation often vary from one cook to another.

The flavours of Ilocano cuisine are distinctive. Sukang Iloko, the local sugarcane vinegar, adds a sour taste to dipping sauces, pickles and cooked dishes, while bagoong, made from fermented fish or shrimp, provides the savoury seasoning for many vegetable dishes. Bitter melon, grilled eggplant and local greens sit alongside crisp bagnet, garlicky longganisa and freshly fried empanadas. Together, they offer visitors a rewarding introduction to the food and traditions of the region.

What Is Ilocano Food - The Flavours of Ilocano Cooking

Ilocano cuisine makes good use of ingredients grown, caught and produced locally. Vegetables may be cooked in a broth, grilled or served with a fermented fish dressing. Pork is fried, grilled or made into sausage, while fish can be served fresh, dried, grilled or used to flavour a dish.

The combination of salty, sour and bitter flavours is characteristic of much Ilocano food. Bitter melon and other bitter ingredients are appreciated for their flavour, while vinegar adds sharpness to grilled and fried dishes. Garlic is also important, particularly in local longganisa.

Laoag’s streets are alive with the scent of sizzling meats and frying dough. One beloved comfort food is Torta, a Filipino-style omelet filled with ground meat and vegetables, often served with rice and banana ketchup. It’s simple, satisfying, and widely available in eateries across the city.

For a quick bite, locals flock to stalls selling Ilocos Empanada—a deep-fried pastry filled with grated green papaya, mung beans, longganisa and egg. The bright orange shell, colored with annatto oil, gives it a distinctive look and crunch. .

Sukang Iloko and Bagoong

Sukang Iloko is the local sugarcane vinegar and one of the ingredients that gives Ilocano food its distinctive taste. It is made from fermented sugarcane and is used in cooking, pickling and dipping sauces. Its flavour makes it a good accompaniment to fried empanada, grilled meat and crisp pork. I particularly enjoy it with green mango and other pickled fruit. Like any good vinegar, sukang Iloko has a character of its own, although its flavour depends on how it has been made and seasoned.

Bagoong is another important seasoning. It is made from fermented fish or shrimp, depending on the variety, and adds a salty, savoury flavour to vegetable dishes and dipping sauces. In Ilocano cooking, fish bagoong is commonly used to season dishes such as dinengdeng.

What Is Ilocano Food - Pinakbet

Pinakbet, also called pakbet, is one of the best-known Ilocano dishes. It brings together local vegetables such as bitter melon, bitter gourd, eggplant, okra and tomatoes, seasoned with bagoong. Long beans, squash, chillies or other vegetables may be added, depending on the cook and the ingredients available. It is like an Ilocano version of the French ratatouille. Some versions include pork or are topped with crisp bagnet. Recipes differ from one household to another, both in the vegetables used and in the amount of liquid left in the dish. My sister-in-law says the secret is not to overcook the vegetables. They should retain their individual flavours and textures rather than becoming a soft mixture. That is good advice when preparing pinakbet at home. Pinakbet (they pronounce this as pee-nak-beht).

What Is Ilocano Food - Dinengdeng and Inabraw

Dinengdeng, also known as inabraw or abraw, is another traditional Ilocano vegetable dish. It is generally more broth-based than pinakbet and is seasoned with fish bagoong. The vegetables vary with the season and the cook. They may include leafy greens, eggplant, okra, beans, squash flowers or other locally available produce. Grilled or fried fish is often added to the dish or served with it. It is a good example of how Ilocano cooking turns a selection of simple ingredients into a satisfying meal. 

What Is Ilocano Food - Baradibud

Baradibud, also written buridibud, is another Ilocano vegetable dish worth trying. It is related to the family of vegetable dishes cooked in a seasoned broth, with ingredients varying between cooks. Root vegetables may be used to give the broth more body, while eggplant, greens and other vegetables add flavour and texture. As with dinengdeng, the available ingredients and family recipe influence the finished dish.

What Is Ilocano Food - Bagnet

Bagnet and is an Ilocano version of lechon kawali and is deep-fried pork, usually prepared from pork belly, with a crisp outer layer and tender meat. The pork is cooked and dried before frying, and some methods involve more than one frying stage to develop its characteristic texture. These are pork squares that are boiled in a salty solution; then they are dried in the air; then they are deep fried twice until they become crisp and golden in color.  It can be eaten with rice, served with vinegar, or accompanied by a mixture of tomatoes, bagoong and local shallots known as KBL — kamatis, bagoong and lasona. Bagnet can also be added to pinakbet or used in other restaurant dishes. (they pronounce this as bug-net).

What Is Ilocano Food - Ilocos Longganisa

Ilocos longganisa is a local pork sausage with a distinctive strong and savoury, garlicky flavour. This is a little like Spanish Chorizo sausage. Seasoning varies between producers, but locally grown garlic and vinegar are important ingredients in many versions. It is commonly served with rice and egg, particularly for breakfast, and is also used as a filling in Ilocos empanadas. Laoag and other Ilocos towns have their own sausage makers and recipes, so it is worth trying longganisa in more than one place. (they pronounce this as long-gan-nisa).

What Is Ilocano Food - Ilocos Empanada

The Ilocos empanada is one of the region’s best-known snacks. It has a thin rice-flour shell that is filled and deep-fried until crisp. The orange colour often comes from annatto, also known as atsuete. A filling may include grated green papaya, mung beans or bean sprouts, local longganisa and an egg. Vendors offer different combinations, so the contents depend on the empanada ordered. It is normally served freshly cooked with vinegar for dipping. Empanadas are available in Laoag and elsewhere in Ilocos Norte. Batac is particularly well known for its empanada stalls and has its own established food tradition around the dish. Read about Empanada here and is the top merienda in Northern Luzon.

What Is Ilocano Food - Dinakdakan

Dinakdakan is an Ilocano dish made with cooked and grilled pork, commonly including parts of the head such as the ears and cheeks. The meat is sliced and mixed with ingredients such as onion, chilli and a sour seasoning. Traditional versions may use cooked pig’s brain to create a creamy dressing; some modern recipes use mayonnaise instead. The result differs from one cook to another, so it is worth asking how a particular restaurant prepares it.

What Is Ilocano Food - Insarabasab

Insarabasab is made from flame-grilled pork that is chopped or sliced and mixed with ingredients such as onion, ginger, chilli and vinegar. The grilling gives the meat its distinctive flavour, while the vinegar adds sharpness. It is sometimes compared with sisig, but it has its own Ilocano preparation. Different cuts of pork can be used, so it should not be described as a dish made only from grilled pigs ears and cheeks. Insarabsab (they pronounce this as in-sarab-sab). 

What Is Ilocano Food - Igado and Dinardaraan

Igado is a savoury Ilocano pork dish commonly prepared with strips of pork and liver, garlic, vinegar and soy sauce. Recipes vary, and some cooks add other ingredients, but the combination of meat, liver and a seasoned sauce is central to the dish.

Dinardaraan is an Ilocano preparation related to dinuguan. It uses pork and pork blood, seasoned with ingredients that may include vinegar, garlic and chilli. Some versions are cooked until relatively dry or crisp, rather than served as a loose stew. Both dishes show how Ilocano cooks make use of different parts of the animal.

What Is Ilocano Food - Poqui-Poqui

Poqui-poqui, also written puqui-puqui, is made with grilled eggplant, tomatoes, onion and egg. Grilling the eggplant gives the dish a smoky flavour before it is combined with the other ingredients. It can be eaten with rice or served alongside meat and fish. 

What Is Ilocano Food - Ilocos Miki

Ilocos miki is a local noodle dish served in a savoury broth, often coloured with annatto. The noodles and toppings vary between vendors, and it is commonly eaten as a filling snack or light meal. Look for it at small eateries and food stalls in Laoag and other towns. It is a useful dish to try when you want something warm and less substantial than a full restaurant meal.

Inartem Pickled Fruit and Vegetables

Inartem refers to Ilocano pickled produce. Green mango is one of my favourites, but other fruit and vegetables can also be prepared this way, including papaya, karmay, siniguelas and balayang, a wild banana. The produce is prepared and soaked in a seasoned vinegar mixture, although the method varies with the ingredient. Balayang requires particular preparation before pickling. I call these sour treats “drunken fruit” and they are excellent alongside grilled or fried pork, chicken and fish.

What Is Ilocano Food - Traditional Sweets and Snacks

Tupig is a sticky rice and coconut preparation wrapped in banana leaves and cooked over heat. It has a distinctive aroma from the leaves and is a popular snack or gift to take home.

Bibingka is a Filipino rice cake, with different versions made throughout the country. Ilocos varieties include sweet rice cakes that may be enriched with coconut, egg or cheese, depending on the recipe. Look for local versions in markets and bakeries.

Other products to look for include chichacorn, made from crunchy cooked corn kernels; biscocho, a crisp baked bread; and linga, a sesame-based sweet. Laoag’s public market is a good place to explore these local products and choose pasalubong — food gifts to take home.

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More Great Laoag Food to Try

Dulang Food Festival

What Is Ilocano Food - Food Festivals in Laoag

Ilocano food has also featured in Laoag’s Pamulinawen Festival celebrations. A Dulang Food Fair appeared in a past festival programme, and a Dulang event was reported as part of the city’s 2018 preparations. Festival activities can change from year to year.

Pinakbet has been served at community celebrations in Laoag, including a shared meal during the Pamulinawen Festival. These events show how food brings families and communities together, with recipes and preparations differing from one household to another.

What Is Ilocano Food

What Is Ilocano Food. Ilocano food reflects the ingredients, cooking practices and family traditions of northern Luzon. A meal might bring together vegetables seasoned with bagoong, grilled fish, crisp pork and a dipping sauce made with sukang Iloko, while a visit to the market introduces empanadas, pickled fruit, rice cakes and local snacks. Whether you are eating pinakbet in Laoag, trying an empanada in Batac or enjoying Ilocano dishes in Pagudpud, tasting the local food is an enjoyable way to discover more of Ilocos Norte. What Is Ilocano Food for all you need to know.