Batac Empanada (Glory's Empanada)
One of the BESTs local merienda that a must taste when you are in ILOCOS REGION is the EMPANADA . Ilocanos made some twist with the typical empanada that everyone knows. It's the orange colored empanada that can only be found in Ilocos! Many parts of the region made its own version of it. Like in Vigan and Laoag to name a few but most of the people said that Batac empanada is the best of them all. So during our Ilocos Norte trip, we went to Batac to taste it! Batac, Ilocos Norte is not only known to be the "Home of Great Leaders" but also with its annually celebrated Empanada Festival. They are considered to be the origin of the famous orange colored merienda. I don't know the exact history though. Batac Empanada is characterized by its orange crust and its filling made up of Iloco longganisa and young papaya shreds. The orange colored crust is due to the use of achuete leaves and aside fr...