“Mapahorno ka?” is the usual question the bakery attendant would ask if he sees that you are holding a pack of meat or you would say to him: “Mapalechon ako.” The question is quite confusing if this is the first time you were asked about it. Mapahorno and mapalechon are two different things. Mapahorno is an Ilonggo term for roasting your chicken or pork in a firewood fueled brick oven while mapalechon is a process of grilling your whole pig or chicken over a burning pile of chracoal. Mapahorno comes form the word hornohan, a kind of oven used by bakeries before the lpg or electric ovens were available. I heard that Panaderia de Molo and Los Filipinos Bakery are accepting this kind of job for P25 – 75 per kilo. This great idea was shared to me by Maam Chit when she invited us to have lunch at their new house in Leganez. The one in the picture was roasted in Los Filipinos Bakery in Iznart St.
Ginhurno nga baboy is an ideal way to roast your pork. It’s cheaper and no mess to clean up in your oven afterwards. The skin and the meat taste better than your ordinary lechon. Try it, and you’ll know the difference.
Here’s how to prepare your meat for the hornohan:
First, check the bakery if they can still accept your order. Ask your meat vendor to give you tiyan sang baboy. Then request him to remove the fine hairs for you. They’re good at it and it’ll save you time.
Rub the meat with a cup of salt to remove the sebo and impurities, then wash it with tap water. Repeat the process until it is thoroughly clean. Pat dry. Sprinkle with salt. No soy sauce or kalamansi please. The natural taste of roasted pork comes out with just a small amount of salt.
the hornohan in Panaderia ni Paa as featured in ExploreIloilo.com
One Comment
Jake, at the first glance, I thought siling mo magpaphorno ka, gali magpahorno ka! Haahaha..!!!! Seriously, you gave me an idea next time, because, I always cook whole turkey pag-ara ko sa Iloilo. THe problem is, ang oven sa amon is not big enough to accomodate a 20-pound bird. Not to mention half tank sang gasul ma-consume nya kay it takes 4-5 hours to roast a big turkey.So, next time, I’ll just bring it sa panaderia ni Pa-a kay lapit sa amon. THanks Jake for the idea.