Tatak Baguio
: The Longest Longganisa
That tasty,
thumb-sized meat product that used to be called as “the Ultimate Baguio
Pasalubong” is this year’s focus of the 3rd Hotel,
Restaurant and Tourism (HRT) Weekend, when the longest Baguio original
longganisa will be paraded and sold on Sept. 30 along Session Road
here.
BY PINK-JEAN FANGON
MELEGRITO
Northern Dispatch
Posted by
Bulatlat
BAGUIO CITY — That
tasty, thumb-sized meat product that used to be called as “the Ultimate
Baguio Pasalubong” is this year’s focus of the 3rd Hotel,
Restaurant and Tourism (HRT) Weekend, when the longest Baguio original
Longganisa will be paraded and sold on Sept. 30 along Session Road here.
The Hotel and
Restaurant Association of Baguio (HRAB) with the Alabanza Meat Store
organized the activity, “bringing back home the Baguio Longganisa.”
The Alabanza Meat Store started making longganisa on Sept. 19, producing
the first 90 kgs. from the 1,061 kgs. of meat to produce approximately
8,500 dozens (at least 3.5 km covering twice or thrice the size of the
Session Road).
Ronda Alabanza,
current general manager of the Alabanza Meat Store, shared that to be able
to reach the 3.5-km target length, production has to be increased up to
100 kgs. a day until the parade comes, on top of the 80-100 kilos produced
daily for the Baguio market.
Short and stout, the
Baguio original longganisa has no preservatives. Spiced with garlic
and salt and other natural seasonings, it could stay fresh for a month if
frozen, and at least a week if not, Alabanza said. She humbly said she
could not compare it with other longganisas like that of Vigan or
Pampanga.
According to HRAB
chair and Baguio Country Club general manager Anthony De Leon, Session
Road would be closed at 7:00 a.m. to give way to the Longganisa
Parade and the assembly at the Baguio Convention Center.
“This event (Longest
Baguio Longganisa Parade) is not intended to show that Baguio has
the best longganisa. This is only to highlight the once-forgotten
Baguio’s own longganisa,” quipped De Leon. “Around 600 to 700
culinary students with some Alabanza employees in chef uniforms and gloves
would ensure the sanitation of the longganisa for the consumers,”
De Leon explained.
After the parade, the
longganisa would be sold at stalls along Session Road until 1:00
p.m. Some restaurants have already pre-purchased some of the longganisa,
and another portion would be used for culinary contests with 194 student
participants and 92 professional participants from all over Luzon, De Leon
elaborated.
In 1946, the Alabanza
brothers, Roberto and Onofre, with the families Tuvera, Alvar, Pasupil and
Lapira, established the first meat stalls in Baguio that sold the original
Baguio longganisa, the original recipe for which came from Ambrosia
Alabanza and her husband. Also, the other families each had their own
unique longganisa recipe. Since then, the Baguio longganisa
has been a popular pasalubong for everyone visiting the city.
The Alabanzas still
continue using the traditional recipe, however, they have added secret
ingredients, Ronda shared. Almost 80 kgs. of the Alabanza longganisa
are produced daily, distributed and sold to various meat stalls in Baguio.
Meanwhile, the
Alabanza Meat Store would also sponsor the Alabanza Longganisa
fusion freestyle cooking competition at the Multi-Purpose Hall of the
Baguio Country Club, 1P.M. on Sept. 30.
Moreover, HRT Weekend
activities on Sept.28-30 also include travel business management seminars,
various hotel & restaurant competitions (cooking, baking, cake decoration,
ice carving, showpiece making, floral design, and bar tending) and the
Search for Mr. & Ms. HRAB ‘06 at the Country Club, SM Atrium and the
Baguio Convention Center. Northern Dispatch/Posted by Bulatlat
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