RECENT biopics and historical commentaries have put Cavite’s place in our nation’s history in question. Its most famous son, our first president, Gen. Emilio Aguinaldo, has been called a lot of names—traitor, the first politician (as opposed to being the first president), shrewd, opportunistic, etc.
All of these, of course, are due to the negative portrayal of General Aguinaldo and his cabinet in movies like Bonifacio and Heneral Luna. While the debates continue to rage on, one thing is sure, in our nation’s quest for freedom and in its infancy, Cavite has always been front and center. Its importance in the fight for independence is undeniable, being one of the first provinces to join the armed struggle against Spain.
Cavite’s proximity to Metro Manila has been a double-edged sword. While it takes less than 30 minutes to get to its northernmost towns from Makati Central Business District, expressways passing thru and beside it and its being highly urbanized and heavily populated makes it a less attractive prospect compared to more popular destinations like Tagaytay and the beaches of Batangas. But a province rich in history and tradition, bordered by the sea on one side and with fertile farmland dotted within cannot possibly be without treasures, especially the culinary kind. So upon the invitation of Cavite’s favorite son (at least to us in the food publishing world), we set out on a whole day of adventure, with stomachs growling and eyes barely open.
• Getting there via Cavitex
GETTING to Cavite used to take forever, with traffic build-up from Kawit, all through to the next towns. With Cavite Expressway (CAVITEX), access to Cavite’s other towns has become more convenient. And with the recent opening of the Kaybiang Tunnel in Ternate, getting to the beaches of Nasugbu and Ternate now takes only 1.5 hours via Cavite Expressway, instead of the 2.5 hours it used to take via South Luzon Expressway.
Our tour started with a short stop at Cavite Expresssway’s headquarters just off Pasay. Protecting the vast mangrove forest lining the coast and recycling and reusing garbage were just some of the company’s corporate social responsibility projects we saw. Not only were they cleaning up the coast and planting mangroves, but the garbage collected was being transformed into usable items, such as road markers, pylons, etc. There was even a plant nursery, which provides the ornamental plants used to beautify the expressways.
• Magdiwang Breakfast at Malen’s
FIRST stop was the much-awaited Magdiwang breakfast at Malen’s in Noveleta. The menu featured the best of what the province had to offer—from Amadeo coffee, organigc rice sinangag, to huge tamales, tinapang Salinas, tapa from Malen’s, scrambled eggs with burong mustasa and the famous Imus longganisa.
Malen’s local-themed interiors features vintage and antique artifacts, news clippings and everything Caviteño. They serve cakes and pastries too and has an all-important pasalubong shop, complete with sweets and delicacies and even freezers full of cured meats and sausages.
• Crops of Oppression
THE Spanish rule forced locals to plant crops that were used to pay the colonial masters’ taxes. Crops like rice, sugarcane and coconut were collectively called “crops of oppression”, enslaving the locals and burdening them with heavy taxes. From these crops were born kakanins, native rice cakes that are the sweet irony to the bitterness of colonial life.
Next on our tour was a stop at Naic and its Immaculate Conception Shrine to try their local rice cakes. Unique to Naic, kakanins, such as Sinudsod, Alikaya and Muche, are sadly getting harder to come by. If not for small-scale entrepreneurs, like Aling Julia Manalo, recipes like these may well be forever lost. Sinudsod (to scrape) is a kind of crepe that resembles coconut flesh. Served with slightly sweetened, cold coconut cream, it was most refreshing on that warm morning. Alikaya is their version of biko, made better by using pirurutong rice instead of the normal malagkit. Muche, an annatto-colored rice ball, is a cross between buchi and carioca, generously filled with sweetened monggo paste.
Speaking of oppression, the farmlands of Cavite were under the “care” of Spanish friars during colonial times. In Naic, the Casa Hacienda de Naic , now site of Naic Elementary School, served as headquarters for these “carers”, collecting crop as taxes, serving both as religious and econo-political center. Convenient. In the same house, Aguinaldo formed his cabinet, and after, in one of the more unfortunate events in the fight for independence, its stairwell served as a detention room for the Bonifacio brothers, before they were tried and excecuted in neighboring Maragondon.
On a side note, and a happier one, Cook contributor Ms. Britney Kang and I found copies of Cook by chance while walking thru the center of Naic. It turns out, we found the Naic Public Library, and they’ve been loyal subscribers for years!
• Kaybiang Tunnel
AFTER Naic, our tour group headed towards Ternate to see Kaybiang Tunnel which connects Cavite to Batangas. A few pics later and after literally crossing the tunnel to Batangas to make a U-turn to return to Cavite, we travelled to nearby Maragondon.
• Maragondon Church and Court Martial
MARAGONDON Church, named in honor of Our Lady of the Assumption, has been in existence since 1618. Paying homage to the shipbuilders of the town, the main doors feature sculptures of a lighthouse and a Spanish galleon.
Just down the road from the church, a house belonging to Teodorico Reyes was where Andres Bonifacio and his brother Procopio were court martialled. The trumped-up charges eventually led to the brothers being executed, apparently without Aguinaldo’s blessings, in the hills of Maragondon. A museum now stands on the site, a reminder of how internal struggles and politicking killed two of our brightest freedom fighters.
• Calle Real, Tanza
Our much-anticipated lunch was served at Calle Real in Tanza. A converted ancestral house of the Tahimic brothers, Calle Real serves updated versions of traditional Caviteño and Spanish fare. As our “guide” Ige Ramos relayed, upper-middle-class Caviteños took advantage of peacetime and built fortunes through trade. Unlike the hacienderos of Central Luzon and the Visayas, prominent members of Cavite’s elite did not build grand mansions, opting for more modest homes in town centers.
Our lunch, with no less than the owners, couple Noel Lozada and Millie Tahimic-Lozada guiding us thru the menu, featured products abundant in Tanza and neighboring towns, starting with a Dried Pusit Salad with Tamarind Sauce. Other dishes served were Paella Negra, Pork Binagoongan, Beef Caldereta and Tofu Sisig—all using local ingredients. Calandracas, a soup/stew similar to pinakbet but with noodles was another unique treat. A specialty of the town, which we got to try on its own is Shrimp patis, different from the usual fish sauce. Shimp patis has a toasted flavor, sweetish salty and is without the lingering smell and taste of regular patis.
On the second floor of the Tahimic ancestral house is Pink Table, a café almost exclusively painted and decorated in pink and everything girly and dainty. A traditional cookie called Sopas de Tanza (from Kaibigan Bakery) was served, along with really good churros and Amadeo coffee.
• Aguinaldo Shrine
A tour of Cavite will never be complete without a tour of Gen. Emilio Aguinaldo’s home. A grand mansion located strategically near the coast and with a river at the back, Gen. Aguinaldo’s house is impressive for its time and even for today. With amenities like hot water on tap, an indoor swimming pool and a bowling alley—not to mention secret passages and secret compartments hidden in the furniture and wooden accents and moldings, the house is like a turn-of-the-century Wayne Manor, with the good General as our local Bruce Wayne.
Our tour ended in one of Aguinaldo Shrine’s function rooms. The late merienda featured more Caviteño specialties, this time with Sonny Lua of Asiong’s serving Pancit Pusit and probably the best halo–halo I’ve ever tried. They make everything in-house, from the pure ube halaya, to the to-die-for Leche Flan Yema, a silky, thick but hybrid between leche flan, dolce de leche and yema. There was also a cassava cake especially made by a Kawit local, Aling Baby.
Being the hospitable hosts that they are, each member of the tour group took home some more specialties like Ensaimada de Cavite from Baloys, Bibingka Samala from Pat and Sam and Halayang Sampalok from Sonny Lua.
• Homeward Bound
It took only around half an hour to get back to Pasay from Kawit, again through Cavitex. Touring with a gracious, knowledgeable and hospitable host in Ige Ramos, savoring the best Cavite has to offer with friends from the media and knowing that a trip back is a breeze via Cavite Expressway is one of the best ways to spend a day. I urge everyone to take the short journey to Cavite, maybe trace our steps and bites or find your own way and discover the province’s many treasures. Whatever you decide on, I assure you it is well worth trip!
