Tags: Exotic Food, Food Fare and Dishes
By Alexander Villafania
DAGUPAN CITY, PANGASINAN – Aside from the famous bangus (milkfish), this city also boasts of a unique delicacy called pigar-pigar.
Pigar-pigar in the local dialect means “turning over,” which could refer to either the process of cutting the fat and connecting tissue (commonly referred to as litid) off the fresh meat or the process of cooking the meat itself, which requires constant turning over in cooking oil.
The most commonly used type of meat is beef though there are also cooking recipes that require carabeef (or carabao meat). Usually, the quarter, brisket, or rear flank are preferred meat parts as these have larger amounts of muscle with less fat.
The process of making pigar-pigar is simple: the fat in the choice meat is removed with a sharp knife. Almost no fat is left on the meat, which is then cut into small, finger-sized pieces and deep fried.
It is stirred constantly – hence the name — and later served on a sizzling plate and topped with cabbages, onions, cauliflower and broccoli. Other types of side dishes are added upon request of diners.
Pigar-pigar is gaining such a reputation that just saying the word in Dagupan City would already connote one place: Galvan Street. It is here that several entrepreneurs have put up pigar-pigar shops, which only start operating at dusk. Even some shops that operate as traditional businesses become pigar-pigar diners at night.
One such operator is Aracelli Zabala de Guzman who owns a tailoring shop along Galvan St. During daytime, she provides tailoring services, though she quickly converts her shop to accommodate diners. She puts out tables and chairs. Outside is a kitchenette where her cooks prepare the ingredients.
“We started a few years ago when pigar-pigar was only starting to become popular. At first, there were only a few shops but now the business is booming and late-night workers stop by to eat,” de Guzman said.
Even when competition seems intense, de Guzman said each of the shops have different approaches in preparing their dishes. Of course, the basic preparation and cooking methods are the same and only the side dishes are different.
She said pigar-pigar will only become more popular among the residents of Dagupan and nearby towns. In fact, plans are underway to have a pigar-pigar festival to match the annual bangus festival.
“Even if we don’t have any other items in our menu, I think we can still earn from just serving pigar-pigar,” de Guzman said.
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Why we Pangasinenses celebrate the Bangus Festival
Buy cheap ‘bangus’ at the Magsaysay fish market in Dagupan
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Regarding with the video of “Pigar Pigar”, please don’t put a lot of blur effect. It is good for the opening, but if you still doing it in the middle up to the end of the video, it is not good.
Is it you first time to use that effect?