A trip to Ilocos Norte is not complete without having a bite of empanada — deep-fried bread made of rice flour stuffed with bean sprouts, raw egg and some minced meat.
Joza’s Empanada in Batac is one of the places popular for this snack food. It is now run by its third-generation owners and it was the grand matriarch back in the day who started using achuete to give the bread an orange tint to make it look more colorful than golden brown.
Coconuts Manila talked to Flordeliza Gaspar who currently heads the business and shared with us the history of Joza’s Empanada. They used to sell from a nipa hut which would easily get destroyed by strong winds and typhoons. So they moved to their current location — they rent the space — which has a proper roof, tables and chairs
Peak season is from November to May, with a bulk of sales coming from tourists. On slow months, they join festivals and events in the province to promote their food.
Watch our video below:
Joza’s Empanada, Juan Valdez Street, Batac, Ilocos Norte; +63 936 9657893. Daily 8am-3am.
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