BRIEF HISTORICAL BACKGROUND

Etymology
Historical records regarding the origin of the name Batac are not available.
Nevertheless, the people believe that Batac was already the name of the place even
before the coming of the Spaniards. In some early accounts of the Spaniards, the
name of the town was also written as Batag (Blair and Robertson, 1973).

There are three theories through which the natives of the place explain how their
town got its name. One is that Batac is indigenous to the place. The term Batac
means an assistance given to another who is in need of help. Hence, the name must
have been derived from the common trait of the people who are ever ready to
extend a helping hand to anybody whether he is a native of Batac or not.

Another theory is that, it must have been the Indonesians who settled in the place
who had given the name Batac. These Indonesians migrated to the archipelago
from Southeastern Asia about 5,000 years ago (Zaide, 1968).

Third version traces the origin of the name Batac to a folktale which goes: Legend
has it that many years ago, a certain spot in the town of Batac which was still a
wilderness, there was a man digging for a root crop called camangeg. It is said that
while he was digging, he accidentally fell into the deep, narrow hole. He struggled
hard to get out but his efforts were all in vain. He cried for help but there was
nobody around. He waited for hours and had given up hope of being saved when
fortunately, two men from neighboring town of Paoay happened to pass by. They
heard the man shouting and traced it to where he was trapped. Upon seeing him,
they heard the man say “Bataquennac! Bataquennac!” The two men did not
understand until the man explained that he was saying, “Help me up! Help me up!”
Upon understanding what he meant, the two men hauled him out of the hole. When
the two men reached their hometown, they told their story to their friends. Since
then, the town has been called “Batac,” which is derived from the word
“Bataquennac.”

The Batac Riverside Empanadaan is a retail and dining center catering to tourist
selling food products including the city's primary commodity of Batac, the empanada,
and other souvenirs and products.
The city has two festivals, The Farmers Festival and The Empanada Festival. The
Farmers' Festival, conducted in the first week of May each year is a celebration of
bountiful harvest and a tribute to the farmers of the city. It is participated by the rural
barangays of the city. The Empanada Festival is a festivity held on the 23rd of June
in celebration of the City's Charter Day. The main feature of the festival is the street
dancing which chronicles the process of preparing the empanada.
The Batac City Fiesta, a month-long festivity commencing on the 8th of December,
is the longest fiesta in the Province of Ilocos Norte. The fiesta is celebrated in honor
of the city's patroness, Our Lady of the Immaculate Conception. The Electric and
Lights Parade marks the beginning of the City Fiesta every December 8.

Products and Services

Main products of the city includes rice, tobacco, garlic, tomato and mango. The
people are also raising cattle, poultry, swine and other domestic animals. There are
also some who weave clothes for apparel and blankets. Mat-making and pottery are
also a well-developed industries.

Tourist Spots

 Marcos Museum and Mausoleum – this is where the glass-entombed,

preserved corpse of the former President Ferdinand E. Marcos is found. This
museum also holds the memorabilla of the late President all from his service
career.
 Batac Riverside Empanadaan – show the most famous product of Batac and a
hall,ark of tourism promotion. This is also where the array of products, gift
shops, food stalls offering mouth watering treats like empanada, miki,
longganisa, pusit, barbecue and others. Thisis also declared as a very good
location to do business in the area.
BATAC EMPANADA: SO WHAT MAKES IT SPECIAL?

A visit in the city of Batac in the province of Ilocos Norte is not

complete without tasting their version of Empanada. In fact, several
cities and towns in Ilocos provinces have their own version of
empanada.
Now let me tell you where to eat this famed Batac Empanada. The
local government has constructed a food court where Batac
Empanada is served. Note, there are several stalls in that food court
but the most famous of them is the Glory's Empanada.

It is officially called as the Batac Riverside Empanadaan. It is

accessible and located within the center of the city close to the Batac
Church, Marcos Museum and few meters from the city hall
and Ricarte Shrine and Museum
What makes Batac Empanada interesting is that it has a lot of
variations. There you have to choose what variety you want to eat.
Each variety has different price from others.

The Batac City Public Market touted as one of the biggest in the region offers a wide
array of goods – freshly picked local vegetables and fruits, handicrafts, tincrafts,
pottery, native delicacies, chicharon, longganisa, wet market treats and many
others. The Delicia Center, located adjacent to the City Public Market, contains RTW
shops, banks, appliance stores, farm supplies, pharmacies, groceries, a lottery
outlet and many more. The Delicia Center and the City Public Market form part of
the commercial district of Batac City.
With the presence of the Central Bank of the Philippines Cash Unit in the Batac City
Government Center, financial institutions continue to spawn – Philippine National
Bank, RCBC, Metrobank, Land Bank, BPI, Bank of Commerce, BDO and other local
banks. Proof that Batac is offering a good business climate to investors.
The Plaza Maestro Complex, one of the most modern shopping centers in the
province caters to the needs of the new generation, offering two of the country's top
fast food chains (Jollibee and Chowking), several boutique shops, a drugstore and a
photo shop, among others. A stone's throw away from the commercial complex are
bakeshops and a local pizza house.
#2- Batac Empanadas – Striking Orange
Empanadas
After falling in love with empanadas in Argentina, we could not
wait to discover the traditional empanadas of Batac City. Batac is
the oldest town in the Province of Ilocos Norte and was founded in
1587 by the Augustinians.
The city is famous for the Batac Empanadas which are considered
some of the best in the country. There is even an Empanada festival
that takes place every year on the 23rd of June.
One of the most striking characteristics of the Batac empanada is its
bright orange color. The empanadas are deep fried and stuffed with
green papaya, chopped up longganisa sausages and hard boiled
eggs. The orange colored dough is made of rice flour and the color
comes from the use of annatto seeds.

Don’t leave the Ilocos region without having

an empanada, or two!
Report this ad
Annatto is popular in South America and is used a dye, medicine,
and as an ingredient in many foods. It is a natural food coloring and
makes for a fun eating experience.
These empanadas are quite tasty and very different from the ones in
Argentina. They are in their own right an experience not to be
missed.
In the short video below, see how the locals make these Ilocos
delicacies at Lanie’s Batac Special Empanada Restaurant, located in
Batac, Ilocos Norte.
#3- Bagnet – Deep Fried Crispy Pork Cracklings
The Ilocano Bagnet is also known as Chicharon Baboy or deep-fried
pork meat. It is pork belly deep-fried in its own fat. Once fried, it is
air dried up to drain the fat. The process is repeated over and over
until the pork reached is maximum crispiness.
This Ilocano dish was far from being our favorite. Because pork and
fat are so predominant in Filipino food, it is hard to skip this Ilocos
food. Bagnet is a top favorite among Filipinos and if you love eating
fried pork, you will be delighted!
Best is to wash Bagnet down with a San Miguel, the popular
Filipino beer.

An empanada is a stuffed bread or pastry baked or fried in many countries in

Southern Europe, Latin America, the Southwestern United States, and parts of
Southeast Asia. The name comes from the Galician, Portuguese, and Spanish verb
empanar, meaning to wrap or coat in bread.Although popular fast-food chains were
introduced, more people opt to settle for empanada. Aside from being more
affordable, it also offers one square meal.
Ilocos empanada! Dissecting the
Batac and Vigan empanada

Ilocos empanada is one

of my favorite Philippine snacks. Every time I go to Ilocos, I make sure to
get my share of Ilocos empanada, especially the one in Batac, which is
reputably where the best empanada is served.

The Ilocos empanada is actually of Spanish and Mexican origin. Notice

how it's similar to the taco? The basic empanada has a rice flour
or galapong crust with grated green papaya inside. The longaniza, egg
and bean sprouts were later added. There are actually two varieties of
Ilocos empanada, the one in Batac (which is the same one served in
Laoag), and the empanada served in Vigan. So what are the differences?
 1. On the crust, the crust
of the Batac empanada is orange because of the achuete. The
Vigan empanada has no coloring and is thus lighter in color.
2. The crust of the Vigan empanada is thinner and crunchier. While the
crust of the Batac empanada, while crispy as well, is a bit harder the
chew. While many people prefer the crunchier Vigan crust, I noticed it
retains more oil.
3. The Batac empanada uses the entire egg. In Vigan, many stalls remove
the egg white (this practice maybe had something to do with building
churches since egg white was an important building material at that
time).
4. Longaniza types are also different. The Batac empanada uses the
saltier Laoag longaniza. While the Vigan empanada uses the vinegar-
seasoned longaniza of Vigan.
5. Many Vigan empanadas do not have bean sprouts, just the grated
green papaya.
6. The differences in vinegar also add distinctiveness to the two varieties. I
noticed the Vigan vinegar is very strong with an alcohol-like fermented
taste. The Laoag vinegar is really sour and usually has siling labuyo added
to it when served in the stalls. I personally prefer the latter.
7. In Vigan, they still use banana leaves to fold and seal the empanada. In
Batac, it's already plastic.

The Batac empanada has

a lot of variations. There's the ordinary empanada (just the papaya, bean
sprouts and egg), ordinary eggless (just the vegetables),
special empanada(with longaniza and egg), special eggless
(with longaniza but no egg), special w/o mongo (everything except bean
sprouts), jumbo empanada (with hot dog), double special
(double longaniza and one egg), double egg (one longaniza and two eggs),
and the heaviest of them all, the double double (double the longaniza and
egg). They even serve just the crust which they call pinais.
 In Vigan, one variation we
got to taste was the one with cabbage served at Abuelita's Restaurant. I'm
looking forward to my next serving of Ilocos empanada!
http://www.ivanhenares.com/2009/05/ilocos-empanada-dissecting-batac-and.html
EMPANADA: The Ilocos’ Original
By: Pauline Saballo

Throughout the world, empanada is known as a bread or pastry

filled with different ingredients. This bread originated in Spain
and Portugal. This is probably the reason why empanadas are
quite similar to tacos. This dish was carried by Portuguese and
Spanish colonizers and has remained popular in several
countries. The said countries were the Latin America, Indonesia,
Philippines and many more. These countries adapted this dish
and managed to put their own flavor on empanadas.

Empanadas are actually popular here in our country ever since it

was brought by the Spaniards. Empanadas have different
varieties all over the Philippines. Despite that, we cannot deny
that empanadas are truly the Ilocano’s specialty. The
basic Ilocano empanada has grated green papaya, longganisa,
egg and bean sprouts stuffed on a rice flour (galapong) crust.
Ilocano empanadas surely bring the real Filipino taste on a
foreign dish.

In Ilocos, empanadas have basically two kinds just as how this

province was divided. One is the Batac empanada which is
served in Laoag, Ilocos Norte. The latter is the Vigan empanada,
which of course, can be found on Vigan, Ilocos Sur. These
empanadas have the same basic ingredients, method of
preparation and way of cooking. But how are they really
different from each other?

Just looking these two varieties of empanadas from outside, you

can already tell one difference, the color. Batac empanada is
orange in color because it uses achuete as food coloring. On the
other hand, Vigan empanadas are lighter in color since it has no
coloring. If you have managed to eat these two emapanadas, you
could notice that the Vigan empanada has thinner and crunchier
crust than the Batac emapanada. This greatly affects the taste of
the empanadas.

Aside from the outer appearance, these emapanadas have some

differences in the ingredients. Longganisa is a must ingredient in
Ilocano empanadas, right? And these two varieties use different
two types of longganisas too. Batac empanada uses Laoag
longganisa which is known to be salty. On the latter part, Vigan
empanada uses its very own Vigan longganisa as their trademark
ingredient. When you try these two empanadas, you would
notice that Vigan empanadas do not have bean sprouts unlike the
Batac empanadas.
Vinegar is the official dip or sauce of the Ilocano empanadas.
Even this is different when you talk about the two types of
Ilocano empanadas. Batac empanada uses Laoag vinegar which
is really sour and is usually served with siling labuyo in it.
Vigan vinegar is of course the official dip for the Vigan
empanada. It has a very strong fermented taste which can be
similar to fermented alcohol.
 There is this one last thing on how
these two empanadas are different from each other, their
variations. Vigan empanadas only has one variation wherein
cabbages where included in the ingredients stuffed. On the other
hand, Batac empanada has a lot of variations such as ordinary
empanada (with bean sprouts, egg and papaya), special
empanada (with additional longganisa), jumbo empanada which
has hotdog inside, double special (has egg and has a lot of
longganisa in it), and many much more.

Seeing how a foreign dish brought into the Philippines evolved

as one of the Filipino delicacies, made me realize how
innovative Filipinos are especially when it comes to cooking.
These varieties of Ilocano empanadas are just some proofs for
that. I can truly say that Filipinos, be it Ilocanos or any Filipino
local, has their own way of making everything unique.
http://leisurelineilocos.blogspot.com/2014/11/empanada-ilocos-original-throughout_10.html

The Empanada
The empanada is a signature food of Ilocos Norte, in particular Batac.
What makes them all so different, well I am about to explain all that to
you. The name Empanada is derived from Spanish word meaning to
wrap and coat in bread and this is the most popular street fare in
Ilocos Norte and is among the best meriendas in Ilocos Norte. I just
love them.

This crispy thin shell is filled with longanisa, bean sprouts and egg.
The Batac version differs from the Vigan due to both color and
thickness. For an original one you need to eat one from Glory’s, said
to have started the whole trend and included her favorite color, which
is the now famous orange, where the rice flour based shell is colored
using achuete.

THE PERFECT EMPANADA

The price starts at around P35. Frying only takes a few minutes, just
enough to cook the shell and to enjoy them you really need to eat
them immediately straight from the frying pan while hot. Also you need
the local sukang iloko to enjoy it with. There are those who prefer it
with ketchup, hopefully from local tomatoes. The Batac one also has
young papaya as one of its main fillings and the orange colored rice
flour shell.

The cook spoons lots of ground pork, longganisang Ilocos, bean

sprouts, monggo beans, green papaya, shredded carrots and fried
egg into the orange dough wrapper.

The dough is then sealed and then deep fried. For the uninitiated,
longganisang Ilocos is very different from that found in Manila.
 The famous Ilocano
empanada
7Save

THE PERFECT EMPANADA

They are much smaller and are not sweet and they taste of the
famous Ilocos White garlic which is full of rich flavour and that’s what
makes them so full of flavour. I have heard the term used such as
culinary genius that only Ilocanos are capable of.

The Laoag empanadita has cabbage filing instead of papaya and a

rice flour crust. There are some Laoag makers that do use papaya.
Both have egg, monggo and longganisa and there is also the sweet
longganisa variation.

There standard Batac one has papaya, bean sprouts and egg; then
there is ordinary eggless which just has the vegetables. Then there is
the special version made with longaniza and egg. The double special
has double longaniza and one egg
 THE PERFECT EMPANADITA
The crust of the Batac one is orange in color however the Vigan
delicacy has no coloring. The crust of the Vigan version is also thinner
and a lot more crunchy.

The Batac version uses the whole egg and in Vigan they generally
remove the egg white. The Longaniza types are also quite different,
and the Batac delicacy uses the saltier Laoag longaniza while the
Vigan one has the vinegar seasoned longaniza of Vigan.

Many Vigan ones also do not have bean sprouts, and just the grated
green papaya. The differences in vinegar also add taste changes
between the two.

The Vigan vinegar is very strong with an alcohol-like fermented taste

while Laoag vinegar is really sour. In Vigan they still use banana
leaves to fold and seal them while in Batac and Laoag they use plastic
and paper

http://www.pagudpud-ilocos.com/empanada.html

But wait there’s more, one can have an even more special empanada by having its
stuffing doubled! Customize your fillings with a single egg and
double longanisa (single double), a double egg and a single longanisa (double
single) or two eggs and longanisa (double double). Sinful, I know, but once those
orange things get in your hands and you have your first crunchy bite, you’ll
definitely forget how bad this stuff probably is for your health.

But we only live once, so indulge I say.

So how do you want your empanada? Single Double? Double Double? How about
adding a bowl of piping hot Miki with it? And don’t forget to put in some of those
spicy Ilocos Vinegar too! Yumm!
 Balay Ti Empanada, Empanada Nation,
or Lola’s: Our Batac-Style Ilocos
Empanada Taste Test
January 28, 2019 filipino foodpinoy foodlongganisa

 PepperWORDS
 Bianca ArreolaPHOTOS

With its large, wide, semi circular form and vivid orange hue, Ilocos Empanada stands
out among other iterations of the pastry. A specialty of its eponymous region, Ilocos
Empanada consists of a thin rice-based wrapper that gets fried to a crisp and stuffed
with veggies, meat, and/or egg upon your preference, doused upon consumption with
the sweet, spicy, complex-tasting punch of Ilocos vinegar. It’s said to come in
a few distinct styles, the Batac version—said to be have a thicker, more vivid orange
crust and employ grated papaya, bean sprouts, a whole egg, and Laoag longganisa—
being among one of the more notable iterations. Though a trip to Ilocos isn’t always
possible for us city folk, you’ll find a number of joints offering the delicacy across
Manila; how do they compare?

Note: We narrowed down the selection to Batac-style Ilocos Empanada with the most
basic filling—i.e. with a single serving each of veggies, meat, and egg (which goes by the
moniker “special” in most stores). While photos were shot in the studio, the writer tasted
each empanada in-store as this deep-fried treat is best enjoyed fresh.

BALAY TI EMPANADA – SPECIAL

Heralded by Sandy Daza himself, Balay Ti is every bit worth the drive to White Plains. |
PHP 95

Though relatively pricey at 95 pesos a pop, each empanada from this tiny eatery in
White Plains comes long, wide, and visibly stuffed to the brim. Sporting a vivid orange
hue, its wrapper flaunts a slightly sweet, nutty profile and crisp, sturdy character that’s
solid enough to make for an audible crunch yet crackles easily as you sink in your teeth.
Inside you get sautéed papaya and togue(seasoned just a touch and retain a slight bite),
a generous amount of their garlicky, savory longganisa (carrying what seems to be a
liver-y hint to it), and an egg with, in our experience, runny to close-to-runny yolks,
which binds the filling together. All parts come together for a sum that’s flavorful on its
own, yet sings especially when doused with vinegar.
EMPANADA NATION – BATAC EMPANADA, SPECIAL

This especially crunchy version has a most addictive crust; plus points for convenience,
with their multiple branches around the metro. | PHP 75

This growing franchise churns out empanada that’s also relatively long (just second to
Balay Ti’s) and wide, its surface seemingly smoother and more uniform in appearance.
Its skin also comes especially firm and crisp, providing ample crunch (even when bathed
in vinegar) without being tough or dense. For veggies, you get shreds of green papaya
and bean sprouts that are barely seasoned, allowing their natural sweetness to come
forward. They can be inconsistent in the amount of longganisa however, as orders on
succeeding visits contained but a few crumbles toward the outer edge, which contribute
some of their notably more sour-leaning flavor profile but ultimately feel bitin. The egg
within also more often comes out well-done with a rubbery yolk.

LOLA’S ILOCOS EMPANADA – CLASSIC

Lola’s only has one branch in the Metro located within a residential area in Sampaloc,
Manila; and while they do deliver, we recommend dropping by the store and enjoying
their empanada fresh. Note that unlike other stores, the most basic veg-meat-egg
filled empanada goes by the name “Classic”. | PHP 55

Sporting a deep orange hue and a surface dotted with loose, puffy air bubbles, Lola’s
crust falls under the crisp-crackly but more delicate end of the spectrum, with a more
tender, starchier, somewhat puffier feel to it (possibly due to the dough itself having
more distinct pockets of fat folded in) and a peculiar umami taste we can best liken to
that of the coating on kwek-kwek. There are no bean sprouts in their take (though they
confirm being of the Batac sort), but their shredded papaya comes seasoned just right,
notably with a touch of pepper, and retaining a soft yet discernible crunch. You get also
a good amount of sausage of a peppery, slightly piquant profile, which comes well
distributed that you get some in almost every bite. The eggs can be inconsistent, but at
its best comes with a perfectly runny yolk that dribbles down and enriches the rest of the
filling.

THE VERDICT: BALAY TI EMPANADA

Relatively expensive as it may be, Balay Ti’s version wins by all accounts—from its
satisfying crunchy, crackly wrapper to its filling of cooked-just-right, seasoned-just-right
veg, generous longganisa, and (for the most part) runny egg. But the other two
nonetheless offer their own strengths to the Ilocos Empanada game: Empanada Nation’s
boasts of an addictive, uber-crunchy wrapper that we can’t get enough of; and Lola’s,
though not quite as crispy (which isn’t necessarily a bad thing), has great ratio of veg to
meat to egg within.

https://www.pepper.ph/balay-ti-empanada-nation-or-lolas-our-batac-style-ilocos-empanada-taste-test/