The Filipino Food Empanada
The Filipino food empanada is a signature food of Ilocos Norte, in particular Batac. What makes them all so different, well I am about to explain all that to you. The name Empanada is derived from Spanish word meaning to wrap and coat in bread and this is the most popular street fare in Ilocos Norte and is among the best meriendas in Ilocos Norte. I just love them. This is more than just a savory pastry — it’s a culinary time capsule that tells the story of colonial influence, regional ingenuity, and Filipino flair. With its golden crust and hearty filling, this hand-held delight has evolved into a beloved street food and comfort dish across the archipelago
This crispy thin shell is filled with longanisa, bean sprouts and egg. The Batac version differs from the Vigan due to both color and thickness. For an original empanada you need to eat one from Glory’s, said to have started the whole trend and included her favorite color, which is the now famous orange, where the rice flour-based shell is colored using achuete.
The Filipino Food Empanada
The word empanada comes from the Spanish verb empanar, meaning “to wrap in bread.” Spanish colonizers introduced the empanada to the Philippines in the 16th century, along with Catholicism, architecture, and other culinary staples. Originally a baked pastry filled with meat or vegetables, the empanada was quickly localized by Filipino cooks who infused it with native ingredients and cooking techniques.
Over centuries, the empanada transformed from a European snack into a distinctly Filipino creation. While the Spanish version typically uses wheat flour and olive oil, Filipino empanadas often feature rice flour, annatto coloring, and fillings that reflect regional tastes—from longganisa sausage to green papaya.
The Filipino Food Empanada
The average empanada price starts at around P35 but current prices are unknown. Frying only takes a few minutes, just enough to cook the shell and to enjoy them you really need to eat them immediately straight from the frying pan while hot. Also you need the local sukang iloko to enjoy your empanada with. There are those who prefer their empanada it with ketchup, hopefully from local tomatoes. The Batac empanada also has young papaya as one of its main fillings and the orange colored rice flour shell.
The cook spoons lots of ground pork, longganisang Ilocos, bean sprouts, monggo beans, green papaya, shredded carrots and fried egg into the orange dough wrapper.
The empanada dough is then sealed and then deep fried. For the uninitiated, longganisang Ilocos is very different from that found in down Manila.
The Filipino Food Empanada
They are much smaller and are not sweet and they taste of the famous Ilocos White garlic which is full of rich flavour and that’s what makes them so full of flavour. I have heard the term used such as culinary genius that only Ilocanos are capable of.
The Laoag empanadita has cabbage filing instead of papaya and a rice flour crust. There are some Laoag empanada makers that do use papaya. Both have egg, monggo and longganisa and there is also the sweet longganisa variation.
There standard Batac empanada has papaya, bean sprouts and egg; then there is ordinary eggless which just has the vegetables. Then there is the special empanada version made with longaniza and egg. The double special has double longaniza and one egg.
The Regional Empanada
Among the many regional variants, the Ilocos empanada stands out as a cultural icon. Originating from the northern province of Ilocos Norte, this version is deep-fried to a crisp, with a vibrant orange shell colored by annatto seeds. The dough is made from rice flour, giving it a chewy yet crunchy texture that’s unlike any other empanada in the world.
The filling is a savory mix of grated green papaya, mung beans, and local longganisa (garlicky pork sausage), often topped with a whole egg before being sealed and fried. It’s typically served with sukang Iloko — a dark, fermented cane vinegar that cuts through the richness with a sharp tang.
Other regions have their own takes:
Batangas empanada leans toward a sweeter profile, sometimes incorporating raisins and carrots.
Visayan empanadas may include seafood or coconut-based fillings.
Manila-style empanadas often resemble the Spanish original, baked with buttery pastry and filled with ground beef, potatoes, and peas. A Versatile Meal on the Go
Empanadas are prized for their portability and versatility. Whether eaten as a merienda (afternoon snack), breakfast, or even a full meal, they’re easy to carry and satisfying to eat. Their structure—sealed dough around a moist filling—makes them ideal for travel, historically serving farmers, soldiers, and traders on the move.
Modern Filipino households and street vendors alike offer empanadas in various forms: baked or fried, sweet or savory, meat-filled or vegetarian. Some adventurous cooks even experiment with dessert versions, using fillings like ube (purple yam), jackfruit, or sweetened coconut.
The Perfect Empanada
Crafting the Perfect Empanada; Making a Filipino empanada is both art and science. The dough must be pliable yet sturdy enough to hold the filling. The filling itself should be flavorful but not too wet, lest it break the seal during cooking. Here’s a simplified breakdown of the process:
- Dough: Mix rice or wheat flour with salt, water, and annatto oil (for color). Knead until smooth and let rest.
- Filling: Sauté garlic, onions, and your choice of meat or vegetables. Add seasonings like soy sauce, pepper, and vinegar.
- Assembly: Roll out dough, spoon in filling, add egg if desired, fold into a half-moon, and seal edges.
- Cooking: Bake until golden or deep-fry until crisp.
The Filipino Food Empanada
The crust of the Batac empanada one is orange in color however the Vigan delicacy has no coloring. The crust of the Vigan empanada version is also thinner and a lot more crunchy.
The Batac empanada uses the whole egg and in Vigan they generally remove the egg white. The Longaniza types are also quite different, and the Batac delicacy uses the saltier Laoag longaniza while the Vigan one has the vinegar seasoned longaniza of Vigan.
Many Vigan ones also do not have bean sprouts, and just the grated green papaya. The differences in vinegar also add taste changes between the two.
The Vigan vinegar is very strong with an alcohol-like fermented taste while Laoag vinegar is really sour. In Vigan they still use banana leaves to fold and seal them while in Batac and Laoag they use plastic and paper.
Find out more about Pagudpud Ilcos and all you need to know about the Empanada and Laoag Food.
