FLAVOURS OF ILOILO

As homegrown it may seem, kilawin or kinilaw is like the Latin American ceviche in which the seafood is dressed in citrus juices with plentiful amounts of chopped onions, ginger, and chilies to balance out the sourness. From the book, On Food and Cooking , Harold McGee writes " Kinilaw is the indigenous Philippine version of acid marination. Morsels of fish or shellfish are dipped for only a few seconds into an acidic liquid, often vinegar made from the coconut, nipa palm, or sugarcane, to which condiments have been added. " BORN “FISH” WAY Kilawin preparation extends to the use of vegetables, fruits and other meats like pork, beef and that of a goat. But as Yummy Magazine puts it, “Ilonggos must be born to cook seafood for any dish, even the simplest sinugba nga isda on the streets, is succulently sweet”; thus kilawin for the locals is mostly associated with seafood. And as far as seafood varies, everything from fish, shrimps and crabs to sea cucumbers and sea...

Lent is among the few times of the year when religion dictates much of the gastronomy. For most Filipinos, it means no or less (red) meat starting Ash Wednesday and every Friday thereafter until the peak of the celebration – the Holy Week. As predo minantly Catholic nation, it’s like clock work that when the season arrives, seafood becomes king. Restaurants highlight fish (and other seafood variations) on their menu to entice the devout while households prepare special meatless recipes for this reason. HOME “EAT” HOME During Semana Santa, it’s almost a tradition at home to have rellenong bangus on the table. A daunting task back when I was younger for I had the honour of removing the “sikag” (fi shbones) from the pile of bangus meat. After seasonings are added, it’s all stuffed back to the fish skin and stitched. A truly penitential task but in the end the finished product is all worth it! Linagpang na bangus is simple to make and this delicious recipe made is with left over grilled b...

The culinary tour around the Philippines continues as Unilever Food Solutions brings the Sooo Pinoy advocacy to the island of Boracay. In cooperation with the Department of Tourism, UFS is on the road to 10 gastronomic destinations across the country and visit more than 100 restaurants. It aims to get to the belly of what makes up Filipino cuisine in a campaign dubbed as Food Trip Na, Pilipinas! Among the premiere tourist attractions of the country, Boracay offers a melange of cuisine to cater to a very diverse parade of nations frolicking under the sun. And it is a challenge for restaurants to come up with recipes that have the Filipino flavor as well making them stand proud beside with other world cuisines. DAY 3: BEACH FRONT DINNERS A sunset walk along the famed white sand beach brought us to our first foodie destination - Sur Beach Resort. Situated along the northern shores (Station 1) of the island, we wondered why it was named as such until we learned that the owners hail from Da...

While some parts of the country were uprising towards the end of the 19th century, another revolution was forming in Jaro, Iloilo. It was a revolution started by fl our, eggs, sugar and other ingredients, barquillos that gave birth to our now popular delicacy - BARQUILL OS! Now who isn’t familiar with barquillos? These crisp wafer rolls are found in almost all pasalubong shops and are often partnered with ice cream. It offers a delicious crunch and willingly melts in the mouth once you start chewing. To kids and kids at heart, taking a bite then blowing out the crumbs on other end, makes and brings back a lot of memories! The name Deocampo is synonymous with these wafer rolls for their barquillos-making history is famous since 1898. “Actually it should have been 1896” opens up Alicia Deocampo during the interview. She shares how they’ve overlooked this packaging error when her fam ily delved into the pasalubong business decades ago. She was no more than 12 years when grandparents Jose ...

What’s a hole-in-the-wall, you may ask. Foodies would define it as a place with something very special (and popular) to offer. Despite a straightforward ambiance and maybe almost obscure location plus all the hassles just to be there, still a lot of people (from all walks of life) make and find time to visit. It could be street side carinderia with a to-die-for specialty, maybe a stall in a corner that sells something special or can be a small restaurant having a unique recipe. It’s really all about good food and the e xperience! There could be many hole-in-the-walls in the city but one really stands out - for it has, literally, a hole in the wall. A “hole” new world This bakery, owned by a rather conservative Chinese family (the Foos ), started decades ago (presumably before the war era) and their business of baking and selling breads surv ived slowly but surely. What started out as a nameless bakeshop is now among the most popular because of its qu...