The Taste of Vigan

    There are memories ever so vivid that no matter how weak our ability to recall them, they rush back every time we smell, taste, or see a familiar object. It is a human nature to connect a passing moment to something enduring, an attempt to appease a deep longing. Perhaps this is why, whenever I mention "I miss empanada," a strange pang aches in my chest.

    In our city of Vigan, empanada is not just a local delicacy, it is a memory of childhood, of Christmas, of town Fiestas, and of smiles free of doubt. In every market, you'll see the old and the young busy preparing empanada. Rice flour dough is carefully filled with shredded cabbage, carrots, bean sprouts, Vigan longganisa, and a whole egg, then deep-fried to a golden crisp. Its smell while cooking is like an invitation from the past, the voice of home, and the warmth of Vigan.

     I remember back then, during fiesta, my family would walk together toward the Vigan City Hall, where the sound of the marching band and the laughter of children could be heard. 

    

    Nearby, the Plaza Salcedo stood tall, like a sentinel of time, watching those who passed by, sweethearts, students, and those returning to their roots.

    

    We would often pass by the Calle Crisologo, where the city’s history is preserved. Old clothing, tools, and pictures of Ilocano youth from years past. As I look at them, I feel the similarity between the past and the present. Both of us searching for something, both of us clinging to objects that remind us of where we came from.

    At the Vigan Cathedral, under the high ceiling, I first felt silent contemplation. Perhaps, like the empanada that is carefully folded and sealed until it is ready for frying, we too are shaped by time. Every prayer, every return to the church, is like a search for one’s true self within the process of change.

   

    The empanada maybe has become a symbol of youth and homecoming. With every bite, I recall mornings full of laughter, afternoons spent outside the house savoring the newly cooked empanada, and nights of storytelling as we enjoyed it. But like everything else, times have changed. Fewer people are preparing empanada in the traditional way, fewer children are buying it, and the memories are slowly covered by the dust of passing time.

    Yet, every time I see empanada at the Vigan Public Market, Plaza Burgos, and Calle Crisologo, everything comes back to life. I see my younger self, holding the empanada, running in front of the Calle Crisologo, gazing at Plaza Salcedo at dusk. And there, I realize that the desire to taste empanada again is not merely a craving for food, but a longing for simpler times, for the people who were with me then, and for my city that continues to shape history.

    Vigan, despite the passing years, remains a home of sweet memories. With every empanada cooked, with every sound of the church bell, with every visit to the museum and the municipal hall, the connection between yesterday and today is rebuilt. Like the empanada, we are also cured by time, slowly, and gently, but in the end, we become whole, savory, and true.

    Thus, I invite everyone to discover the beauty of Vigan. Feel the allure of the Calle Crisologo, the historical street lined with ancestral homes. Uncover the stories of the past at the Crisologo Museum, and experience the community's vibrancy at the Vigan City Hall. Don’t forget to pray and reflect at the Vigan Cathedral, a symbol of faith and unity.

    And most of all, taste the empanada. It is the most savory memory of Vigan. With every bite, you will feel the warmth of home, the love of the Ilocano people, and a zest of a culture that the city continues to live out. So if you are looking for a place with heart, history, and a taste of tradition, come to Vigan, and let yourself taste the flavor of our empanada.

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File:Vigan City Hall, Ilocos Sur, April 2023.jpg - Wikimedia Commons. (2023, April 30). https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Vigan_City_Hall,_Ilocos_Sur,_April_2023.jpg

CALLE CRISOLOGO (2025) All You Should Know BEFORE You Go (w . . . (n.d.). www.google.com. https://share.google/images/qILS1095rVt2TV2Uw

Vigan Empanada - Ang sarap. (n.d.). www.google.com. https://share.google/images/J6pWdaPjViNLjUes

Vigan Cathedral | City of Vigan. (n.d.). www.google.com. https://share.google/images/axd56PT8MhKjqeOGy