APRIL is Philippine Food Month, and this is a perfect time to head south and check out Quezon province’s famous delicacies. To showcase its cuisine, members of print and online media were invited to the Makulay na Pamana ng Quezon Kulinarya, an event organized by the Tourism Organization of Quezon Province Philippines Inc. (TOQPPI), as part of the Flavors of the Philippines 2017, a monthlong (March to April) gastronomic celebration hosted by the Department of Tourism as the local component of Madrid Fusión Manila. This event will showcase the ingenuity and abilities of Quezonians in the hospitality and food service industry, as well as provide a learning experience from the experts in the field.
After a nearly three-hour drive from Manila, we had our first taste of Quezon cuisine at the roadside Quezon’s Best Niyogan Pasalubong and Coffee Shop in Tiaong, where we were welcomed with a hearty breakfast of pan de sal, organic coconut jam (a best seller with varieties, including pineapple, chocolate, chili, guava and sea salt), macaroons, pancit habhab and fresh mangoes and suman.
Opened in 1993, this coconut products store sells export-quality nata de coco, virgin coconut oil and coconut vinegar, among others.
The grand launch of the Flavors of the Philippines was held at SM City Lucena, which became the venue for experiential and interactive cooking demos by Quezon chefs of heirloom recipes and heritage cuisine handed down from generation to generation.
After the launch, we were checked in at Ouan’s Worth Farm, where, prior to dinner, we were shown around the museum housing the memorabilia of retired Philippine National Police Chief (during the Ramos administration) Director General Recaredo Sarmiento. The 3-hectare resort farm also offers a lot of activities, such as picnicking, swimming, wall-climbing, rappelling and zip-lining.
Dinner that night was al fresco at the Halina Z Compound, where we experienced Quezon’s Mercato dining. Here we feasted, while listening to live music, on local Quezon cuisine, as well as familiar grilled favorites. The next day, after breakfast at Ouan’s Grandma’s Kitchen, we were driven to Verdana Farm within the nearby town of Sariaya.
Here, we had an encargado lunch, an authentic farm dining experience with roots from the Spanish Colonial era. The encargado (or katiwala) were the people who looked after the affluent middle class’ plantations. The finely made dishes were cooked and presented by pillars of TOQPPI and were assisted by chefs and members of the organization.
Several of the locally made dishes served to us mostly used coconut as its key ingredient—inadobong baboy sa sukang niyog and adobong manok sa gata. Other dishes included minanok consommé, bulanglang na gulay with bagoong isda, ginangang tambakol sa kamias and inihaw na sugpo stuffed with sinantolan thermidor. These we partook of using our hands (kamayan) on plates fashioned out of the trunk of the banana tree.
After lunch, we witnessed how buri (or buli) is made into threads, as well as how local delicacies, such as the sticky and sweet kalamay (a mixture of glutinous rice flour, coconut milk and muscovado brown sugar, steamed until set and of chewy consistency), pinais (a dish made out of prawns, pork and coconut meat, wrapped in banana leaf then cooked in coconut milk) and minukmok (made from a variety of banana called saba). The pasulbot (also called sinulbot or unday-unday), half-cooked kalamay, was already good to eat.
Long ago, before the age of the “texting”, young men got a chance to spend time with the women they were courting when protective parents of the girl asked them to make minukmok using the traditional large mortar and pestle.
Prior to our return to Manila, we dropped by the Rodriguez House (also called Villa Sariaya), a luxurious ancestral home owned by former Mayor Catalino Rodriguez (the town’s presidente during the American Occupation).
On May 14, 2008, it was declared by the National Historical Institute as one of the three Heritage Houses of Sariaya. Now transformed into a museum, here we did photo shoots wearing Commonwealth Era period attire for—Filipiniana costumes for the ladies and priestly garb for the guys.