MANILA, Philippines – Sisig, what our embassy marketed as “the great pork dish from the Philippines”, won the hearts of judges and guests at the recent Embassy Chef Challenge in Washington DC.

For her sisig, Chef Abie Sincioco Mateo of the Philippine embassy in Washington DC “bagged first place in both the judges’ choice and people’s choice categories” at this year’s Embassy Chef Challenge (ECC), according to the Philippine embassy.

Philippine Ambassador to the US Jose Manuel “Babe” Romualdez said that “this shows that Philippine cuisine is certainly being recognized in the American mainstream.”

The embassy described sisig as “a traditional Filipino dish of grilled or broiled chopped meat, seasoned with calamansi (Filipino lime) and hot chili.”

The embassy said it was “paired with a special ‘beer cocktail’ that combined San Miguel Pale Pilsen with San Miguel Cerveza Negra.”

The secret ingredient? Mateo said her sisig was “full of love”.

The Philippine embassy said the following embassies also won in the ECC:

• Ghana, which won second place in both the judges’ choice and people’s choice categories
• Haiti, which won third place in the judges’ choice category
• Colombia, which won third place in the people’s choice category
• Barbados, which won the best beverage award
• Morocco, which won as the best dressed embassy

Held since 2009, the ECC is “a month-long celebration of Washington DC’s diplomatic community,” its organizers said. The ECC “provides a setting for culinary diplomacy” in Washington DC, home to around 177 embassies. – Rappler.com