Longanisa is a Philippine version of a Spanish Longaniza sausage

Longanisa is a Philippine version of a Spanish Longaniza sausage. Longaniza is also popular in Argentina, Chile, Mexico and all other Spanish speaking countries including the Caribbean Islands like Cuba and the Dominican Republic. And of course there are different varieties of longaniza.

In 1565 Spanish Conquistador, Miguel López de Legazpi arrived in Cebu, Philippines from Mexico (New Spain) and established the permanent Spanish settlement that lasted over three hundred years. This brought Catholic Religion, Spanish law, administration, and the new culture. Culinary arts were no exception and Spanish sausages were introduced as well. They had to be somewhat modified due to a different, hot and humid climate, but their names remained the same. The most popular sausage in the Philippines is Longanisa (in Spain called Longaniza) and it has a distinctive flavor in each region of the country: Lucban is heavy on garlic and oregano, Guagua is saltier with more vinegar, or finger-sized ones from Guinobatan. Traditional Longanisa may be dried (conditions permitting) and sometimes smoked, however, it can be kept fresh or frozen and cooked. Unlike Spanish chorizos, longanisas can also be made of chicken, beef. or even tuna.

1	meat selection	Pork butt or ground pork about 20/80 lean to fat meat ratio. 5 lbs (2.3 kg)	salt	36 g	2 Tbs
			paprika	14 g	2-1/2 Tbs
			garlic cloves , chopped	12 g	4 cloves
			sugar	5 g	1 tsp
	ingredients		black pepper	2.1 g	1 tsp
			oregano, ground or crushed oregano (2 Tbs)	2.2 g	1-1/2 tsp
			white vinegar,	125 ml	1/2 cup
			onion powder or 1 medium fresh onion, finely diced	5 g	2 tsp
2	grinding	Cut pork into small cubes or grind through a course plate, 3/8" - 1/2" (10 - 12 mm) plate.
3	mixing	Mix all ingredients in vinegar and then pour over ground meat and mix well together.
4	stuffing	Stuff into 32 or smaller hog casings and twist them into 4-5" (10-12 cm) links. Using cotton twine, tie the ends of each sausage link tightly, then cut between each link to separate.
5	aging	Place a container, cover and leave in a refrigerator for 1 day to to mature and develop flavors.
6	cooking	Before serving
7	storing	In refrigerator. Eat within a few days or freeze for later use.
Notes	This is a fresh sausage and it must be cooked before consumption. Fry on a frying pan until golden brown and serve hot.