Delightful Carcar Crunchies

Tempting and utterly sinful golden delights that pack a powerful crunch with every bite. The choice pork skin that is seasoned with select spices and deep-fried to perfection, flavorful and truly satisfying, these goodies have come to be known as Carcar chicharon.

A gastronomic trip to the historical town of Carcar would not be complete without sampling its mouth-watering delicacies, including the all-so-famous chicharon.

The chicharon industry started way back in the 1900's when Patricio and Anuncion Paras started selling the pork crackling to the townspeople. Several years later, their children and their children's children have made their own version of this famous delicacy thus transforming a family enterprise to a huge business known throughout the country. Today, dozens of stores have sprung up everywhere within the center of the town, even in the buses going in and out of Carcar vendors literally bring it up right to your very eyes. Proof indeed that the industry is alive.

Little is known that every pack of Carcar chicharon comes from the choicest ingredients and a meticulous process giving it a distinct flavor that everyone loves. In fact every maker has kept some techniques a family secret thereby making the Carcar chicharon tastier compared to other chicharons.

The people in the factories are usually up and about at dawn daily. Here at Hermes and Uvy's, workers prepare the pork as early as 5 in the morning. The pork skin is cleaned and cut into similar sizes, it is then placed inside a large pot. Spices, salt and water is added and half-cooked.

Meanwhile, a large pondido or carajay is filled halfway with oil. Ma'am Uvy has created an innovation that she considers the only one existing as of this time in the whole of Carcar. A stainless stove fired with gas. Other factories up to now have resorted to the traditional way, using wood to fire the stove.

Chicharon undergoes a very long process through deep frying. Three stages of the deep frying process create the crunchy feel and the texture that slowly melts in your mouth. The first stage involves frying in medium heat, cooking the skin but still retaining some moisture. It is allowed to cool down before storing in large plastic containers, covered until the entire batch is finished.

The second step is like warming up the stored cooked skin, by dipping it in oil that has just started to warm up. It is then set aside and allowed to drip of its excess oil.

When the rest of the batch is done the stove is fired up to a high temperature. "Right temperature is crucial, it ensures the skin puff to the right size," Ma'am Uvy revealed. Once hot enough, the skin is then deep-fried for the last time. One by one each piece start to float up the surface. One complete stir and out comes the crispy golden brown product.

The cracking sound and the aromatic scent of freshly cooked chicharon truly overpowers all your senses and little by little makes one salivate to hunger.

Still a warm loads and loads of chicharon make their way to the packing room where it is weighed and sealed inside several sizes of plastic. Then from there it journeys to the market and to other outlets in Cebu.

Eating crunchy chicharon is one irresistible experience, dip it in vinegar, ketchup or take it as it is. With puso and an ice-cold drink. There are endless possibilities.

So on your next trip to Carcar; see the sights while munching on a bag of crispy chicharon and other goodies. Now that's one gastronomic trip you will certainly enjoy.