At least 10 variations of the Sisig have been prepared and offered to travel agents and the media on April 14 in Angeles City during the launch of Sisig Fiesta 2015, a parallel activity of Madrid Fusion Manila.

Among these variations are dishes made from balut (fertilized duck egg), salmon, milkfish, tofu, and squid. Sisig has dramatically evolved from the sizzling invention of Aling Lucing in the mid-70s into a cooking method. Any dish sizzled on a skillet is now be practically called sisig.

Angeles City’s Sisig Fiesta, however, highlights both the future and past of one of Pampanga’s most popular dishes. From a salad of fruits and vegetables dressed in vinegar, pepper, salt, and garlic, it evolved into a dish of boiled pig’s ear. Back then, pregnant women consumed sisig to strengthen the bones of the unborn. As areas outside Pampanga began to adopt sisig, Filipinos later used other parts of the pig and even main ingredients that are non-pork.

Celebrity chef Claude Tayag cautioned future sisig experiments by saying that the most essential element in a sisig, or a variant, is sourness.

Angeles City invited travel agents and tour operators to Sisig Fiesta to introduce its new campaign as the Sisig Capital of the Philippines. The city was home to Aling Lucing and is today the location of popular Kapampangan food outlets such as Mila’s Tokwa’t Baboy, Otties Central Grill, Batcha-Batcha, and Cely’s Carinderia. The city government says it assists travel trade partners in forming food and heritage tour packages in Angeles.

Since late March, the Department of Tourism has been mounting Flavors of the Philippines as a prelude to Madrid Fusion Manila 2015. Part of Flavors of the Philippines program, Sisig Fiesta is the DOT Region 3’s way of supporting the nationwide food event.