Embutido
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Read for freePork embutido is a Filipino meatloaf dish made with ground pork. It’s usually stuffed with hard-boiled eggs, sausages, and sliced ham.
The dish is prepared in 2 ways: steaming and baking. However, steaming is more popular throughout the Philippines, as it keeps the meat juicier and from drying out due to extensive heat.
Though the dish is eaten quite commonly, it’s also the star of the table on special occasions, such as Christmas and fiestas. It can be eaten both hot and chilled.
Hot embutido is often paired with rice to capture the full essence of the dish and make it enjoyable for the eater, even if it crumbles. However, when cold, it’s eaten alone, without any side dishes.
The only thing that you’ll see with it is banana sauce. However, it’s not necessary.
Even ketchup would work in ordinary settings, like a good afternoon snack. I mean, who cares if it tastes good? ;)
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Origin
The origin story of embutido is quite interesting. It comes from the Philippines, takes its name from the Spanish, and is inspired by American meatloaf.
According to the recorded history of the dish, it was made between 1898 and 1946, during the American colonial period. As the Americans colonized the region, the American canning industry also expanded to the islands, and the influx of processed meat and canned food saw an all-time high.
With an abundance of meat and canned food, and the somewhat experimental temperament of Filipinos with food came into being a new recipe: the pork embutido.
This dish basically combined every ingredient that was canned at the time and made it into a delicious dish. The only thing they didn’t get creative with was the name “embutido”, which is the Spanish word for “sausage”.
To eliminate confusion, sausages are known under the terms “chorizo” and “longganisa” in the Philippines, and “embutido” is reserved exclusively for the meatloaf dish.
Though some sources claim that the dish’s origin traces back to the 15th century and is inspired by the Spanish sausage, or “embutido,” there’s not much evidence to support it. Plus, embutido was a generic term that doesn’t expressly point to one particular dish, but a group of it.
Check out our new cookbook
Bitemybun's family recipes with complete meal planner and recipe guide.
Try it out for free with Kindle Unlimited:
Read for free
Joost Nusselder, the founder of Bite My Bun is a content marketer, dad and loves trying out new food with Japanese food at the heart of his passion, and together with his team he's been creating in-depth blog articles since 2016 to help loyal readers with recipes and cooking tips.
