The fruit of the catmon tree

Before it was called Santa Barbara, historical accounts say it was named catmon, as this variety of trees were landmarks in the route up Central Panay.

Katmon (Family: Dilleniaceae, Synonyms: Dilenia speciosa, other names: Bihis, kulammbug, palali) has thick foliage and distinctly big white flowers that eventually becomes round fruits.

The fruit is covered with almost overlapping sort of dry skin that eventually becoems fleshy as it nears the core.

What remains of the flower can still be found inside making it attractive but it reminds me of rambutan in some ways.

It then becomes pulpy but look at those pulp so big that it puts pomelo and other citrus to shame.

The sample fruit I got seemed to be still not ripe (I assume) that it wasn't that juicy and looks like a squashed bean.

The fruit is sour but refreshing - my tastebuds likened the taste to kamias with hints of green apple and like the pomelo it becomes sweet at some certain points.

A perfect candidate for being juiced up if they can be easily extracted and if supplies are plentiful, they can be turned into jams and jellies and be part of local cooking like sinigang and pinamlahan just like kamias and the local batwan.

The only surviving in the whole town which was previously named after it is right next to the police station - safely guarding it like a treasure. After all it is the only living symbol of the town of Santa Barbara...

UPDATE: Through the efforts of the LGU Santa Barbara speaheaded by the Municipal Tourism Office, there are now around 20 CATMON trees thriving in the Victory Plaza of Santa Barbara, Iloilo.

Catmon tree planting activities were held during the Independence Day celeberations as well as during the Cry of Santa Barbara and Kahilwayan Festivals in the past 7 years.

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 por...

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

Easy Century Tuna Recipes

If you're looking for simple, easy and delicious Century Tuna recipes online, congratulations, you've found it right here! How about spicy tuna sisig or tuna sinigang ? Maybe stir fried tuna with pickles or just yang chow fried rice . I love Century Tuna from its flakes in oil variety, the spicier the better, but when I discovered the versatility of its solid variant, it became an obsession. At first I was just into the usual tested recipes; pasta and sandwich filling, but then it got simpler – I just eat it straight from the can! Usually with a piece of bread or an apple. I just add a few drops of vinegar to spice it up a bit. Then came the experiments. Yup I got tired of that habit that one day, I decided to test my skills in the kitchen. Serendipity, you might call it yet most of them turned into good recipes that I have shared now and then. Satisfying my Palabok cravings had me experiment on this recipe on the spot. With Century Tuna in lieu of the us...

Budyawi

Bujawi (budjawi, budyawi) is what Ilonggos refer to the fruit of the buri or century palm tree . Abundant in many parts of the province of Iloilo, the buri has many many uses from the leaves to its trunk. It produces a fermented drink (tuba), alcohol, vinegar, syrup, and sugar. The trunk yields large quantities of starch. The bud (ubod) is used for salad or as a vegetable. The kernels of the young fruits are edible and are made into a sweetmeats. The mature seeds are used for beads? (rosaries) and buttons. The petiole yields so-called buntal fiber of which, the famous Baliuag and Lucban hats are made, or which, when crudely extracted, is sometimes twisted into rope. Mature leaf is used for covering tobacco bales, rarely as a thatch for houses, while the ribs are used for making brooms. From the unopened leaf is obtained a very fine fiber, corresponding to raffia fiber, which is utilized in making cloth, fancy articles, and as string. Fibers ...

Lauya nga Pata sang Baboy

It was a typical fiesta scene in a barrio that I got to taste this cholesteroliffic and delicious pork dish. I can still vividly remember that decades old gastronomic memory - very tender and almost fall of the bone pata, vivid orange sour and sticky broth, large chunks of unripe langka; all in one big large kaldero ! And it's been really a while since I've tried to recreate that taste memory and a few days ago, it was worth another try. Here's my simple recipe for Pata Lauya

FLAVOURS OF ILOILO

Search This Blog