FLAVOURS OF ILOILO

It's still an "unexplained tradition" for me why native delicacies are the staples when Pista Minatay comes. Some say it's "Filipinizing Halloween" that instead of candies and other sweets, we have these native delicacies to share as treats and not as tricks. And it started in the rural areas where the abundance of rice and coconuts, among others has made these traditional eats as the "undying" staple this annual celebration of remembering the departed. So, let's start our native delicacies gastronomic journey with IBOS or more commonly known as "SUMAN" in other areas. Click for IBOS Recipe This is probably what comes to mind when one says "kakanin" as this is made with sticky rice and often partnered with ripe mango, native chocolate or just plain sugar, whether refined, brown or muscovado. There's the SUMAN which others refer to as BIKO. A delicious treat of glutinous rice oiled in coc...

Bangus  or milkfish is one of the most abundant and versatile fishes around. It can be cooked in so many way - sinugba, pinirito, sinigang, paksiw and relyeno, among others. One of the easiest yet delectable is cooking it paksiw Ilonggo-style called pinamalhan . It rooted from the Hiligaynon word " mala" meaning dry. Here's a simple recipe for Pinamalhan nga Bangus.

When I had my first bite of the  tam-is  many years ago, I find it weird and ask why isn't it sweet. After all, tam-is  literally means sweet in the melodic Hiligaynon language. Tam-is  is starchy but its "smoother" compared to  kamote  and cassava. One can find them during market days especially in inland towns where farming is abundant and crops come in different kinds.  In Iloilo City, the best place to find this rootcrop is at the Jaro Big Market aka Huwebesan - for its market day is Thursday. It is also what Ilonggos call a variant of a tuber-crop related to the ube, potato, taro and yam, among others, with a collective? scientific name of  Dioscorea esculenta, syn.: D. fasciculata.  These are tubers are the enlarged storage tips of a rhizome. The “eyes” are actually buds in nodes, arranged in spiral pattern from the base to the apex of the tuber. Aerial tubers, which are common in yams, are called ...

Now you may ask, what is Inday-Inday ? It's another repetitive-feminine named native delicacy that is made from rice like its more popular sister - baye-baye . While the latter is has its own original flavor and make, inday-inday is actually a combination of two well loved native delicacies - muasi ( palitaw ) and bukayo . But the muasi portion is not the the usual palitaw  recipe for the it's more firm and gummy (I don't know the English term for kid-ol ). Actually its more like a hardened kutsinta and this makes it more to my liking since I'm not really fond of muasi in the first place.  And its not quite easy to find inday-inday in the market today, though I've seen and tried it in Sabor Ilonggo stalls but their's is more like suman latik for the based is ibos -like. Ibos is malagkit rice boiled in gata which is called suman in Tagalog. Despite the uncertainty for its nomenclature (I've read that inday-inday is just plain pal...

It's been a while since I visited my hometown's most popular batchoyan, the viral Batchoyan ni Jasmin Sobredo in Ilawod, Santa Barbara, Iloilo. Though I got to enjoy this semi-regularly, it's always on delivery/take-out. So out of nowhere, I just have to satisfy my cravings of having a hot and delicious bowl of La Paz batchoy…. inside a not so typical batchoyan. If you haven't been here for a long time, you'd be glad they now have a bigger parking space and a much more welcoming main entance. It's a testament of its success after it went viral over socmed a few years ago as they were always flooded with hungry guests - locals and tourists alike. With a collection of plants ( borne out of the pandemic, hello plantitos and plantitas) flanking the passageway, its a respite from the hustle and bustle of regular batchoyans located inside wet markets. Not typical but Tropical batchoyan, I may add. Upon entry, you'll already smell th...

Park Inn by Radisson Iloilo  and SM Hotels and Conventions Corp. (SMHCC), proudly announced the launch of Tela Tales Visayas in Iloilo and Bacolod City. This groundbreaking initiative aims to empower local communities and promote sustainable practices through the upcycling of discarded linens and fabrics from Park Inn by Radisson Iloilo and Park Inn by Radisson Bacolod as well as other SMHCC hotels and properties. In conjunction with the launch, Park Inn by Radisson Iloilo hosted a special event featuring a sustainable six-course lunch prepared by their culinary team, led by Executive Sous Chef Diego Trillana.  The lunch showcased the hotel's commitment to sustainable dining practices, emphasizing local sourcing, reduced meat consumption, and minimal waste. From the crispy Zucchini Batonette amuse-bouche to the refreshing Tomato Calamansi Sorbet, every dish showcased fresh, local ingredients with a creative twist!  Highlights of the Menu: 💚 Grilled Blue Marlin with Ratat...