Coming soon: ILOILO'S FINEST

An online article caught my attention weeks ago. Though, it wasn't mainly about food, it will have an impact in the gastronomical scene of Iloilo City most especially in the pasalubong items. Here's a snippet from the said article:

Speaking at the SME Otop Fair last July 13, 2009, de Vera also witnessed the launching of Iloilo Brand that depicts the Arroyo Fountain fronting the provincial Capitol here with words "Iloilo's Finest" to be incorporated in packaging of local products and stickers showing the best of Iloilo products and services. >>> Read complete article

It reminded me of an other article which speaks of the same thing.

For the Philippines, Mr. Cristobal said, registering the products as GIs will help prevent their misuse and misrepresentation. Using the indicator for branding will help a product increase its market share in the country and abroad, Cristobal said.
He cited Saranggani province for having registered two marks: the “Saranggani Golden Mango” and “Sarap Saranggani.” Bulacan branded its famous sweets “Tatak Bulacan.” Tarlac has registered “Natural Tarlac,” positioning the province as a source of natural and organic products, while Pampanga has “Vida Pampanga” for its delicacies. >>> Read Complete article

It's laudable effort for Iloilo businesses through the help of the local government to finally make an important addition to their products; that is recognize and be proud of Iloilo. But come to think of it, even before this stint was made "public", a few businesses have already done this.

JD Bakeshop has this Proudly Made in Iloilo seal in almost all of their packages. The first time I saw them, I was really thankful for the bakeshop for being proud of its roots. Though I have some skepticism over some of their products, I am very proud of this small effort.

Another one is Rgies Delicacies which is synonymous to great tasting butterscotch. Though not really as conspicuous, it had this Iloilo's Pride written over it's "neat" packaging. They really chose a fitting tagline since they really are makers of great butterscotch, which is in my opinion really the pride of Iloilo.

Going back to the topic, my only concern and question is that, will this Iloilo's Finest tagline be obligatory to all products and brands or just limited to really the real FINEST brands and products. I hope it's the latter but then who will choose/decide if it is really fitting to be "tagged" as one? I mean, there could be products that are not really Iloilo's finest but backed by very influential people or politicians and on the other hand some really good products but coming from a small business. The list continues but and only time will tell if this thrust will really push through.

Ready-to-cook Pancit Molo balls

It was only today that I remembered buying a pack of ready-to-cook pancit Molo. Locals are fortunate to buy them at groceries here saving them time, money and effort in the tedious preparation of pancit Molo. Anyway every pack of the RTC pancit Molo has the balls and the lang-lang . Its the balls that entice the buyers and the lang lang that "dictates" the price and weight. For this blog entry, I opted for the AR brand (150 grams for PhP 21) since they had the more photogenic combination at that time though I'm more partial to the Cares brand. Separating the contents makes you realize that what you actually bought but for that price, it's already a bargain, can be cooked in many ways and can serve 2-3 people. It is then up to you what you can make out from a pack or more. For this preparation, I used 2 chicken broth cubes and just estimated the amount of water. Upon taste test I added a pinch of salt, a dash of pepper and few drops of soy sauce. I boiled the lang

Ultimate Ilonggo Favorite: KBL Kadyos, Baboy, Langka

K.B.L. or Kadyos, Baboy, Langka is the ultimate favorite dish of most Ilonggos. It is also one of the most missed native dishes as kadyos and the souring ingredient, batwan , are hard to find when outside of the Ilonggo region. Basically, it is boiled/stewed pork dish owing its "deliciousness" to the combination of the soft and tender pork, the tamed sourness of batwan and the malinamnam na sabaw . One of the "secrets" of the malinamnamn na sabaw , is the fact that the pork, whether just the plain meat or pata (hocks) are first grilled or broiled. This gives the broth a rather smoky taste that makes it more appetizing.. Learn how to make the Ilonggo dish KBL (Kadyos, Baboy, at Langka) with the recipe below. Ingredients 1 kilo Pata (pork hocks) or pork cubes, GRILLED and sliced into bite size pieces 1 unripe Jack fruit, cubed 2 cups pigeon pea (kadyos) 6-8 pieces batwan fruit (or tamarind powder) 1 piece pork broth cube (

A new flavour for the Dinagyang 2011 Food Festival

Aside from the dances, drums and colorful costumes, Dinagyang also means food and Iloilo City has a lot to offer during this 3-day event. The festival brings them to the streets with the much awaited Dinagyang Food Festiva l . For four days, major streets in the city are lined with food stalls and kiosks that everywhere one turns it all about food. As this article states, major streets in Iloilo City will have a food festival there will be plenty of places to indulge in during D inagyang 2011 . ILOILO City's world-famous Dinagyang Festival will turn the spotlight on Ilonggo cuisine this year. Tourists are encouraged to try chicken barbecue the Ilonggo way and other tasty local dishes during the festival. There are also the world-famous Ilonggo delicacies and other concoctions to bring home after enjoying the Dinagyang ati-atihan and Kasadyahan competitions. Not only that. The 1s t Iloilo Convention and Visitors Bureau (ICVB) International Food Festival 2011 will attempt t

Valenciana

A close relative of paella, this dish originated in Valencia, Spain and probably brought by the Spaniards when they colonized the country. Always a staple in family gatherings, this yellow rice is a complete meal in itself, with pork, chicken, liver, chorizo, shrimps, bellpeppers, peas and raisins to name its basic ingredients. RECIPE Saute your choice meats and vegetables. Cook malagkit rice with turmeric and broth cubes then mix sauted meat and vegetables when almost done. Garnish with hardboiled eggs and onion leaves.

SIDRO: Iloilo's very own gourmet doughnuts

Just listening to Isidro Panizales Jr. animatedly talking about his life before and after being a “doughnut-preneur”, is like the different flavors of Sidro Doughnuts . Each variant seems to reflect different aspects of his almost three decades of living in America. From his work in corporate America for more than 10 years to that one little spark of deciding leaving work to pursue his delicious passion – life is like a box of doughnuts! IN A DOUGHNUT HOLE Sidro is an offshoot from the name Isidro but as Sid says, it’s a tribute to his father. The first Sidro Doughnuts came out of the kitchen and delivered to one lucky doughnut-phile on Dec. 18 last year. It comes in two sizes – Junior Doughnuts which at 30 grams each are perfect for parties and occasions. But if you can’t enough, there are the Regular Doughnuts which is more than 3x at 100 grams and comes with more toppings and flavours. Choose among nine specially concocted creations - Bugnay Berry, Calamansi, Dulce

FLAVOURS OF ILOILO

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