chicharon carcar

Carcar among many things is the Chicharon Capital of the Philippines and let's look into how its made!

Back when I was in college we were assigned to chicharon business owners in order to assist them with how to market and brand their products. It was a fun experience for us as they told us about how they source, cook and package their products. Of course, we got free samples to take home too!

carcar chicharon

For those who haven't tasted this wonderful crunchy goodness, actually chicharon is not a dish but more of a type of cooking process for meat and fish rinds- this is defined as a dish generally consisting of fried pork belly or fried or pork rinds. chicharon may also be made from chicken, mutton, or beef. Yum! I would say that Carcar is the chicharon capital of the world but from what I discovered, it is apparently a popular cooking style practiced in Spain, Latin America and other countries with Spanish influences.

carcar chicharon

Some may think that making this delicacy is as easy as deep frying pork cutlets. In fact, these pork rinds are turned into bite-sized portions then boiled in a huge drum of water. The water is seasoned with salt and spices and the recipes vary according to different makers. After the process, the pork rinds are taken out of the water and drained.

carcar chicharon

Camotes Islands: the Lake, the Underground Cave, the White-sand Beach
Restaurants, Falls, Other Attractions in Cebu You May Want to Check Out
Have you ever been to the cheese festival in Compostela, Cebu?

You know what happens next. They are cooked in hot oil and fried.

carcar chicharon

I also read that the chicharon-making business in Carcar began way back in the 1900s. A married couple started the business and were the first to discover the delicious taste of hot-oil simmered pork rind and the first to sell chicharon within the area.

carcar chicharon

A good tip the chicharon business owners taught me is that when purchasing chicharon, a good sign that the product sold is already old or bahaw is when oil is already seeping from the chicharon and is already apparent inside the packaging. So go ahead, buy a pack when you stop by Carcar and start munching!

#y101 #alwaysfirst #cebusbest