MANILA – Filipino food gets the spotlight in the United States once again, with no less than the esteemed New York Times dubbing the well-loved sisig as the “greatest pork dish on earth.”
In an article published on New York Times last July 31, food columnist Ligaya Mishan sang praises for sisig as she reviewed the Lumpia Shack Snackbar, a Filipino restaurant located in West Village.
“Ears, jowls, belly. They come brined, blanched, shattered and fried, each tip blackened and alchemized, each pocket of fat approaching liquefaction. A raw yolk idles on top. Stab it and churn. This is sisig, the greatest pork dish – arguably greatest pork dish – on earth. Say the name with two flicks of the tongue, somewhere between a whisper and a hiss,” Mishan wrote.
The writer went on to note that sisig is “a muscle car in the world of Filipino cuisine, along with crispy pata.”
Other Filipino dishes mentioned in the article are Bicol express, adobo, lumpia and the icy dessert halo-halo.
This is not the first time that Filipino cuisine was recognized in The New York Times. Last year, for instance, the publication made glowing reviews of Filipino restaurants such as Jeepney and Pig and Khao.
Over the past months, popular websites such as BuzzFeed, Zagat and Thrillist have featured Filipino food as they predicted its rise in the US.
Time Magazine, inspired by chef and TV host Anthony Bourdain, declared the Philippines’ lechon (roasted pig) as the “best pork ever” in 2009.