Hotsilog is the Tagalog name for hot dogs. This is different from the Philippines chorizo type sausage called longganisa. Longganisa is short links of pork sausage while hotsilog is actual hot dogs as you know it – it’s also much longer. No, there’s no double entendre intended.
You can find hotsilog sold in bus stops and other stalls where quick travel food is required. It’s usually sold next to balut and chicharon (pork crackling). The history of the Philippines with the long American presence has created this long and *brightly colored* radioactive red hot dog that is sold on a stick or in a bun.
The ones in a bun costs 30 PHP (about RM 1.80) while the hotsilog on a stick costs 25 pesos (RM 2.20). The shorter hotdog in a bun actually costs *more* than the longer ones on a skewer! You’ll be initially surprised that a locally made bun wrapped around the hot dog will actually hurt your wallet more…especially when you see the length.
Hotsilogs on a skewer / stick is much longer than the ones in a bun. That means you get more meat for 5 pesos less for the former. Street peddlers will come on board while you’re in a bus and sell all sorts of stuff from Buko Pies to newspapers.
The hotsilogs is a distinctively American influence that has been given a local twist. It tastes much like what you’ll expect a hotdog or sausage to, but juicier and mildly spiced so it’s good to eat by itself without other condiments.
It’s an interesting experience to eat it on long journeys. The way it’s cut into spirals before being cooked is something the locals have done to make it cook evenly.
The local hotsilog is also surprisingly sweet and worth a try if you’re on a bus with nothing better to do. You might also require a hardy stomach. 😉
Reminds me of the spiral fried potatoes that we have selling at the roadside stalls here. Probably use the same instrument to cut.
Yeah, I remember that! It came from Taiwan I think so maybe the method has been around for quite a while.
It’s been that way in the Philippines since time immemorial. 🙂
I wonder why they make their hotdogs so long though, it’s amazing. The ones in the buns are regular sized but the ones on a stick is really long.
It’s slightly sweet but salty at the same time so after you eat a few, you’ll be wanting a loooong drink of water.
Cheers buddy! 🙂
LOOK GOOD. Hotsilog… But why so red in colour one?how it taste?;P
Yeah, interesting cultural background, this hotsilog. 🙂
Good question. I don’t know why it’s so red, it seems that all hotsilogs there are this color.
They also have *really* good longganisa – now that’s the one to watch out for. I have a friend who gets a bunch from Manila and cooks it during CNY back in Sibu.
Delicious stuff.
Cheers Eunice! 😀
most dishes in philippines are pretty sweet isn’t it?
Yeah, some of the dishes are sweet, they do like their sugar while cooking in some areas. 🙂
I particularly like their longganisa though, now that’s really good stuff – the sausages that’s actually spiced and local.
There’s a friend of mine who’s taken to buying several packs and getting them back to Sibu to cook during CNY open house. Awesome stuff.
Cheers mate!
I’m wondering why it was so red too. Are they using any coloring to make the colors more vibrant? Looks delicious. I will get the one with the bun if I’m going for a bus journey.
Indeed! That’s a very good question that I couldn’t ask with my limited vocabulary of Tagalog words. 😉
Hmm…I think I’ll search for the answer instead. It is quite red, like the old ideal of a frankfurter when I was a kid, as printed on the pages of the frozen sausages. Heh.
I think there must be coloring involved, can’t be just the skin.
Yeah, the bun is quite filling but it’s surprisingly more expensive (5 Philippines pesos more) than the longer hotsilog on a stick.
Cheers buddy! 😀
there are many delicious local delights..
I like hotdog… 🙂
Indeed bro! 🙂
I love the Philippines for their street food – from the notorious balut (which is quite delicious actually) to chicharon (bought a pack of those pork cracklings at the bus station – awesome with a dash of vinegar).
There are two different types of hot dogs / sausages there – hotsilog, which is what I ate in this post, and more like an American style hot dog, to longganisa – the local short links of pork sausage which brings to mind the English style bangers.
Cheers mate! 😀
I don’t get it. You said the ones in the buns are more expensive than the ones on a stick right? Did you terbalik the prices? That’s a really long hot dog.
Oops! Thanks for that Chris! 🙂
Yeah, it’s the other way round! The hot dog on a stick in 25 pesos while the (shorter) hot dog in a bun is 30 pesos!
I found the pricing to be very unique, which was why I mentioned it.
A longer hotsilog for 5 pesos less, more meat but without the bun. I didn’t know buns costs that much over there. Heh.
Thanks for picking that up. Fixed the mixup in the post.
Cheers mate! 🙂
Maybe it’s the tissue that’s expensive. Lol.
Heh! It could be true, the serviette could have made it more expensive since the bun itself shouldn’t cost much and one would reckon meat (despite it being mystery meat – sausages) would cost more).
Cheers mate! 🙂
My dad bought sausages from Philippines back home and it’s sweet. Fat chubby short ones and normal length sausages. Hope to try the one sold there soon!
Hello Sherrie! 🙂
Yeah, that’s the ones my friend buys for CNY too – the fat chubby short ones like bangers are called longganisa, I have photos of it somewhere. It’s very good stuff!
There are other types of hotsilog that he gets for open house too, from the Philippines – their sausages are really good for some reason, sweet/spiced and juicy.
I wanted to eat then in Manila though coz it tastes better – lower food miles and all that. Heh.
Cheers Sherrie! 🙂
eeerr y the stick still in the bum one?
wat if accident eat -_-
Heh! Good question, I didn’t notice it until you mentioned it.
I didn’t even notice it while *eating* it, so the stick in the hotsilog bun couldn’t have been that long.
I think it was just there to make it easier to hold and sell.
It doesn’t actually affect the eating, it’s not skewered through unlike the hotsilog on a stick.
Cheers Claire! 🙂
I’ve always really enjoyed your travel posts, especially when you cover local delights! Now I know what to eat in the Phillippines when I embark on my South-East Asia trip next year 🙂
The spiral sausage looks absolutely yummy!
Hello Jyannis! 🙂
Thanks for that! Yeah, I’ve been a bit behind on my travel posts, am going to post more often now and establish a more solid once daily schedule.
I was down with left shoulder muscle pains from swimming but I plan to get around to clearing all my backlogs…all the way back to London. Heh.
Hey, awesome, you’re coming over here!
Give me a buzz me if you’re dropping by Malaysia! 😀
eh it looks like those spiral potato chips on skew? i likey taiwan sausage…sweetish too…
Hello Constance! 🙂
Yup, it does look like the spiral potatoes eh? I should have waited there to see if they get it like that or they manually cut it. Heh. I doubt it’s the latter though.
Me too! I love lap cheong too. That’s also a very sweet sausage.
There’s another kind of sausage called longganisa in the Philippines, that’s awesome too! 😀
hi! the ‘hotsilog’ you are referring is simply a hotdog on a stick. Hotsilog is actually a rice dish. It’s a combination of hotdog, sinangag (garlic rice) and itlog (egg). There are different kinds of silog dishes as well: tocilog (sweetened pork + sangag rice + egg), tapsilog (beef), cornsilog (corned beef) etc. Do try them when you come back in the philippines. 🙂