Chicharon (Pork Skin Crackling)

P20.00 worth of chicharon with a bag of spiced vinegar

A fried peanut vendor on the corner street of España-Blumentrit sells not just peanuts but fresh deep fried chicharon for P20. I once saw this peanut vendor frying pork skin when I passed by his food cart. It's an assurance to his customers that the chicharon is fresh and not packed or stacked on shelves for weeks.

This is a concept that's somewhat unique to the rest of his competitors. He added chicharon to his existing display of fritters of all sorts. No one among the peanut vendors ever tried to duplicate his idea. The vendor is like a street food version of R. Lapid's Chicharon.

It’s easy to tell that the quality of oil used through the color of chicharon. Here, the color is white (check the photo above). It means that oil used for frying is fresh not recycled. The seasoning is kept into minimal. So, it's not salty.  There's no grainy feeling of salt around the chicharon. It's crunchy all the way down to the last piece. It's fresh with no porky or greasy aftertaste.  There’s huge difference to the taste compared to the commercial version sold on the streets and grocery stores. 

It really feels good to see few street foods that offer something fresh for a change.