Chicharon Festival in  Sta Maria

Bulacan

Chicharon, one of the best yet deadly

snacks in the Philippines. Now why deadly?

Because this dish/snack is made out of deep fried

pork rinds but sometimes beef, Buffalo or chicken skin can be used,

which means its high in cholesterol.

Now why best? Because it tastes so good,

it’s addictive. It is a common beer match in the

Philippines which makes it even worse and I guess it’s one

 of those bad eating habits of Filipinos where they eat oily snacks

 such as this one while having some happy hour with friends.

Now most of us does not know that

this dish also is popular in other countries

and in fact most of the Spanish and Portuguese influenced

countries have the same dish, countries like Argentina, Brazil, Columbia,

 Cuba, Mexico, Peru and Venezuela to name some.

The similarity of the dishes between those countries are

 the same but the uses vary like in Mexico they eat it with tacos,

In Philippines it is used as a snack

and sometimes garnish to different dishes,

 In Puerto Rico it is mashed after cooking then

stuffed in mofongo (a type of banana dish) and in Dominican

Republicit is consumed with tostones (another type of banana dish).

Chicharon (English: Crackling) is a favorite “pulutan”

(finger food) during social drinking sessions, especially in the rural areas.

Chicharon has many variations.

 The most common variation is usually made

 from pork rind that is deep-fried in scalding hot cooking oil.

Another popular variation, but less commonly

served because it is so much more expensive and also

 more difficult to prepare, is the Chicharon Bulaklak. Unlike the

common variation made of pork rind, chicharon bulaklak is made from

 a pork’s small intestines, prepared in much the same manner (i.e. deep-fried).

Chicharon is usually served with local vinegar mixed with garlic,

fresh chili or ground pepper, a dash of salt, and (optionally) soy sauce.

The chicharon is also an important ingredient of another

popular Filipino food, the Batchoy. From the Spanish, el chicharrón.

Ingredients

Pork Rind, cut into 2 in squares
Salt
pepper

Method

1. Place pork rind pieces in a wire rack and fan bake for 170C for 1 hour.
2. Let it cool down then refrigerate overnight.
3. In a deep fryer fry pork rind pieces in a really hot oil until puffy and crisp, this might take around 30 seconds to 1 minute.
4. Enjoy with a vinegar dip.