FLAVOURS OF ILOILO

It's not Catbalogan nor Katagalugan, it's  CA-TA-LU-GAN, Catalugan. I also had the same problem when I was a kid when reading and remembering the name of this bread. But the many years of enjoying this specialty from Tibiao Bakery, I think I have it in me. So what is catalugan? It's basically a filled bread and like what you see, it has more filling that the "bread" itself. Tibiao Bakery makes the more "high end" catalugan as they are big, individually wrapped and deliciously addicting. Smaller bakeshops also make catalugan but its just the regular "one of those" breads. But this one from Tibiao is worth every "bit and morsel". For around 12 each (few years back it was only PhP 10), this bite size bread is heavy as the filling is a compact and flavouful blend of "secrets" for this one had no ingredients listed on its packaging. So I can only assume what they are everytime I am ...

A popular bread from a popular local bakery is almost like a dream come true. And at a popular price ( too at just PhP11.50 each), there teren-teren from Tibiao Bakery are among the bakeshop's best sellers that I almost never got them (there were only half a dozen pieces left that time). Teren-teren is among the more popular breads that even neighbourhood bakeries have their own version . It is so named because it resembles simply a ... train. Mini breads with sweet filling (milk, butter and sugar - I guess) are joined to make this train, err, bread more appealing to passengers, ooops buyers. Some varieties though have the fillings exposed thus letting one see what's inside before buying their ticket - lol. See more teren-teren at these stations .

For most Ilonggos, Tibiao is often associated with a bakery making good breads and treats for more than half a century earning its tagline “Symbol of all Foods”. Being the first bakeshop in Tibiao, Antique, it earned the right for the “namesake” and became among the proud “exports” of this town. BREAD TOWN “Tibiao Bakery started in 1953 with a capital of around 20 thousand pesos” shares owner Walden S. Lim who is also the mayor of the town of Tibiao. For generations, the Lim family has transformed what was just a neighborhood bakeshop into one of the biggest and most popular bread companies in the whole island of Panay. Mayor Lim being interviewed by Arangkada, GMA TV 6 Iloilo's morning show It was under the sole proprietorship of Manuel B. Lim Sr. when it started in the fifties and in 1982 his sons, Vicente and Stephen, started the business operations in Iloilo City. Eventually in 1989, the business was converted from sole proprietorship to a corporation. It has numerous products ...

“The siopao, a Filipino fast food favorite, may be counted among “Filipinized” Chinese dishes, like pancit” points out food writer Margaux Salcedo. But her quick search on the Internet shows that nowhere else in the world are these buns also called siopao. “ The Chinese (apparently) calls them baozi, the Thais – salapao, Hawaiians refer to them as char siu bao; the Vietnamese identifies them as banh bao” she writes in her column on the Philippine Daily Inquirer ” But they all mean the same thing - a filled bun.” “The difference seems to be in the filling. The Hawaiians’ char siu bao offers barbecued pork inside, similar to our asado siopao, while the Vietnamese version offers ground pork, like our bola-bola siopao” reveals her further search. “The “Filipinization” is obvious with the asado filling, pork asado being a viand of Spanish influence derived from the Spanish word “asado” meaning “roasted,” although pork asado is a favorite at Filipino-Chinese restaurants” she finishes. Il...

For most Ilonggos, Tibiao, despite being a name of a town in Antique, is often associated with a bakery making good breads and treats thus earning its tagline “Symbol of all Foods”. It has numerous products to boast ranging from biscuits and cookies to breads and cakes. In Iloilo City it has even spawned numerous branches having short orders like pancit Molo, spaghetti, hamburgers and more. It was a big surprise during our trip to Tibiao in Antique a few weekends ago that we got a chance to tour inside the factory of one of the biggest and popular bakeries on the island of Panay – Tibiao Bakery. Owned by the family of Mayor Walden Lim, Tibiao Bakery has been baking a lot of goodies since 1953. Eventually, it became big, expanded and became even more popular outside the town especially in Iloilo City where it has around 10 branches. Our trip started after a sumptuous breakfast our host provided but seeing all the goodies inside the factory made me hungry all of a sudden. It was the star...

Or as our host, Flord Nicson Calawag, said " Tanum, lagaw kag pamahaw sa Tibiao ". Indeed our visit to this municipality in the province of Antique last weekend was filled with adventure and gastronomy - all for a cause. The town's 1st Agri-Enviromental Tourism Tree Planting program dubbed as Tanum-Lagaw sa Tibiao was foremost a tree planting activity organized the office of Congressman Paolo Javier & the Provincial Government (through the initiatives of SP Victor Condez, Committee Head on DENR) in cooperation with the local government Unit of Tibiao (through the leadership of Mayor Walden Lim). It aims to promote environmental awareness on the value of forests that serve as carbon sink, enriching nutrition through planting fruits trees and providing employment opportunities through tourism development. This is also in line with Tibiao's thrust of becoming the adventure capital not only of the province but for the whole island of Panay as it hosts an internati...