Embutido (Filipino cuisine)

The name of the dish in the Philippines originally referred to embutido, a type of Spanish dry sausage and one of the original stuffings of the dish. These sausages are now known under the general terms longganisa or chorizo in the Philippines, with the term embutido evolving to refer exclusively to this dish.[4][5]

The dish itself originates from the American meatloaf, introduced during the American colonial period of the Philippines (1898–1946). This was due to the expansion of the American canning industry and the influx of processed meat and other canned goods to the islands. Canned products were still a novelty back then and were adapted into various recipes by Filipino families.[4][5]

Embutido rolls for sale in Malolos, Bulacan

Embutido is made by mixing ground pork with bread crumbs (or shredded white bread), raisins, minced carrots, sautéed onions and garlic, and salt and black pepper to taste. Various other ingredients can also be added to the mixture, including sweet pickle relish, cheese, pineapple chunks, and sliced pimiento or bell peppers. The mixture is then placed on aluminum foil. Hard-boiled eggs are placed lengthwise on it, along with sliced ham, Vienna sausages, longganisa sausages, or even hotdogs. The arrangement is covered with more ground pork mixture and carefully wrapped completely with the aluminum foil. It is then rolled into a cylinder and steamed.[1][6][7][8]

The dish can be served hot and sliced into little discs, though it is more common to chill it first to prevent it from falling apart when slicing. It can also be frozen for storage for up to a month. They can be further fried before serving.[9] It is traditionally eaten with white rice and dipped into banana ketchup, sweet chili sauce, or some other sweet sauce.[3][2]

Embutido differs from the American meatloaf in that it is traditionally steamed (although it can be baked).[10] It is also made with ground pork rather than ground beef, though modern variants can use beef or beef and pork mixtures.[5][11]

Embutido is visually similar to and uses similar ingredients as another Filipino dish, the morcón (which is also different from the original Spanish morcón, a type of sausage). However they are very different dishes. The Filipino morcón is a beef roulade stuffed with eggs, ham, sausages, and pickled cucumber. It is cooked by frying and stewing, rather than steaming or baking.[12]

• Hardinera
• Everlasting
• Filipino spaghetti
• Spam
• Tapa
• Tocino
• List of pork dishes