Apag Marangle

Guagua, Philippines

Apag Marangle opened in Guagua, Pampanga, with a menu built around the traditional Kapampangan communal meal format called salu-salo. The name translates roughly to come, let's eat together. The restaurant serves the full repertoire of regional dishes: kare-kare, sisig, lechon kawali, betute (stuffed deep-fried frog), and longganisa from the Guagua style, the garlicky sour type distinct to this part of southern Pampanga. The longganisa de recado from this region is denser and more acidic than the hamonado versions made in San Fernando and Angeles, cured with vinegar and packed with whole garlic cloves. Dishes arrive in the traditional banquet style at the table, meant for sharing across a group. The setting in Guagua, the municipal origin of the Guagua longganisa style, makes this the most contextually appropriate place in the region to eat the sausage. A second location operates in Angeles City.

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Sausages served here

Longganisa

Pampanga, Philippines

Longganisa is the Filipino fresh or cured pork sausage at the centre of the country's most beloved breakfast. Short, plump, and tied in individual links, it comes in two broad styles: hamonado, which is sweet from sugar and pineapple or anise wine, and de recado, which is garlic-forward and lightly sour. Pampanga makes the most celebrated version, a hamonado type cured with generous sugar and garlic until the casing glazes and the fat caramelises in the pan. Every Philippine province has its own formula. Vigan longganisa from Ilocos Norte is small, dense, and pungent with garlic and vinegar. Lucban in Quezon packs its links with oregano and fat. The Pampanga version sits between sweet and savoury, with the sugar doing most of the talking but the garlic never far behind.

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