Ay nilarang

CEBU, Philippines – People have become really creative in their preparation of food. Especially Filipinos - the Visayans particularly. The fact that a certain food, or food ingredient, don't go down easily stirs the resourcefulness of the local people.

For instance, salted "uyap" or "hipon" has been adopted by many as a natural alternative to monosodium glutamate or vetsin, for a kick of flavor. Food that otherwise tastes bland becomes palatable. More and more people prefer this natural seasoning over the synthetically manufactured kind.

Filipino cooks or homemakers just wing it in the kitchen. There's no need for recipe books at all. Surprisingly, most of the time the cooking comes out just as tasty, as if it had gone through a step-by-step procedure prescribed by a master chef.

Most of the popular local dishes are traditions passed on from parents to children, from friends to friends, from generation to generation. And the passing on happens by itself; children just watch their parents and learn, or the one asked to help clean the ingredients just learns how to prepare the dish. Often, the measuring is done by hand and no actual tasting is necessary - a quick sniff at the simmering dish does it.

One such popular local dish is the "linarang." It is basically a fish soup, but not the regular fish soup. Its whiff of flavor is something else. And the taste is different, too. Many find it irresistible.

The "linarang" has since had a few variations. The following is the basic recipe.