Empanada is simply a
pride of the Ilocos. Be it in Ilocos Norte or Ilocos Sur. And be it Vigan and Laoag, and
Batac, all Ilocos cities, for that matter. It's as if it defines what a truly
Ilocos popular delicacy or merienda (snack)
is all about. Especially so in Batac City in Ilocos Norte where an
annual Empanada Festival is held to honor the "half-moon
orange snack made of rice flour stuffed with longganisa, egg, grated green papaya, parboiled
mongo, ground pepper, salt, garlic..." with which Batac folks claim it as
their own, their invention, and which is synonymous to their town, their
beloved city. So much so that "an Ilocos trip will not be complete without
a taste of the famous Ilocandia merienda, the Batac empanada"which
is claimed to be the best Ilocos empanada that there
was, and is.
