Fiesta de Arevalo at Camiña Balay nga Bato

The district of La Villa Rica de Arevalo is home to the 3rd oldest image of Sto. Niño in the Philippines and celebrates its patronal fiesta every 3rd week of January. It's during the Ati-atihan and Sinulog Sunday that Villanhons "eat, drink and be merry" - a prelude to Iloilo City's biggest street party - Dinagyang, which happens the following Sunday.

Among the best tourist attractions in Iloilo City can be found in the district of Arevalo - the century-old Camiña Balay nga Bato. Considered a "living museum", the house hosts a curio shop where assorted Panayanon products are on display and for sale, a hablon weaving corner, a vast collection of antiques - furniture, vases and memorabilia of the Avanceña family, among others are on display.

And the house's antiquity also provides a great setting for gastronomy as it is very famous for its native tsokolate served with old world charm. But the fiesta of Arevalo makes house come alive likened to a scene in soem cliassic Filipino movies like "Oro, Plata, Mata" - as described by Mr Eugene Jamerlan, cultural worker and heritage conservationist plus designer and concept planner of the Camiña Balay nga Bato.

If we were late in last year's fiesta, this year, I made it a point to be early. In fact I was an hour early than the RSVP time but no regrets as I had the house "all to myself". I was excited of the fact that the extension of the house will be showcased after months of work (by Archt. Johnny Liwanag and Mr Eugene Jamerlan). Though it wasn't finished yet, but it was ready to take in guests and be part of the fiesta frenzy.

The transition from the old and original part of the house was seamless as the extension seemed to be part of the old house. From the old house's wooden flooring, the extension sport a machuca tile floor that depicts old world and colonial architecture. The whole room was ventilated with large capiz shell windows and grills on one side and a balcony like feel on the other (the windows just open up further giving it a veranda feel).

It was just the perfect setting for a fiesta - old world charm and lots of good food mostly of Ilonggo flavour. The appetizers (and desserts) were set on the original dining room (2nd photo from the top). Fresh greens and all the works for a make-your-own-salad with crab stick,s ham among other. Fresh fruits like pineapples and papaya from Camiña's farm in Giumaras serve as appetizer and dessert with fresh buko juice on the side.

And here's a round up of the gastronomic delights we all enjoyed during the Fiesta de Arevalo at Camiña Balay nga Bato.

Fresh Lumpia

Panara

Pangat

Chicken fingers

Pinaklay nga ubod aka hubad na lumpia

Lechon baboy

Valenciana

Black rice

Pininyahan nga pato

Chicken Galantina

Chily and garlicky chicken adobo

Uncle Tom's fried chicken

Pancit Sotanghon

Adobo Rice

Fresh fruits

Leche Flan and dinulce nga niyog

Bukayo

Champagne

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 (

An Ilonggo favorite - Valenciana

Found in almost all occasions like fiesta, birthdays, reunions and others, Ilonggos really love valenciana because most if not all have grown accustomed of having it in special gatherings at home. A complete " go, grow and glow " dish because it has the carbohydrates, protein and vitamins and minerals in just one spoonful, Valenciana is really an " occasional dish ". Here's the recipe for Valenciana

Takway

The gabi (taro) is just one of those plants which is edible from "roots to tops". The most popular of which is the tuber part which is used in a variety of dishes and mostly in combination with coconut milk. Its leaves, of course, is the main ingredient of a Bicol specialty, laing . It is dried then chopped and sauteed with other ingredients including, again, coconut milk. Then there is takway . The local term for its tendrils/runner, that part which is torn between being a stem or a root for it neither grows upwards nor downwards - it grows sideways . Scraped off of its outer skin, takway is often a key ingredient in vegetable dishes like laswa and the gabi tuber with coconut milk and local snails know as bago-ngon . It is also popular when cooked adobo style with guinamos , the local bago-ong . It is very popular in the region that even big supermarkets sell takway in style - cleaned and plastic wrapped in styro with some additions to make it easier to prepare.

Batwan

Ilonggos know batwan or batuan by heart as the fruit is almost endemic to the Western Visayas. Its scientific name is Garcinia binucao, derived from the Tagalog name for the fruit, binukaw. It is a large green fruit with large seeds and its a favorite souring ingredient in most Ilonggo dishes especially KBL or kadyos, baboy, langka and the Ilonggo-style paksiw known as "pinamalhan". It is characterized by a tamed sourness compared to tamarind and kamias . The fruit is sold by pieces or kilo in wet markets and even big grocery stores. Batwan is the preferred souring ingredients for the Ilonggo favorite- KBL. The photo shows boiled batwan with skin and without skin (right) A favorite riddle when we were young - "Among the many fruits in the forest, but one (batuan) is the best. What is it?"

A cooking weed called Lupo

Lupo is a weed that is commonly found in ricefields and roadside in provinces. It is most prevalent in Ilonggo cooking compared to others as it is mostly the Ilonggos who can recognize lupo , though maybe called differently in other places. Most commonly used in laswa or monggo dishes to add greens like kamote tops, it also makes a good partner in sinabawan na isda recipes. It has hints of bitterness but don't expect it to be ampalaya-bitter like. It is mostly sold in wet local wet markets by the tumpok .

FLAVOURS OF ILOILO

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