Experiencing Tagala cuisine
A people without the knowledge of their past history, origin and culture is like a tree without roots. — Marcus Garvey
Every year, San Miguel Corporation invites a select group of people to engage in a culinary tour. This year I was blessed to be invited to their Kulinarya Tagala Tour, a food and heritage tour that would take us through the provinces of Laguna, Batangas and Quezon.
Boarding a chartered Crystal Bus with familiar faces such as chefs Ed Quimson and Rosemarie Lim, we were greeted by our tour guide Lina Decal.
Our first stop was the picturesque sanctuary of Patis Tito Garden Cafe, owned by no less than iconic designer Patis Tesoro, where we were enthralled by the indigenous Philippine interiors with intricate details complemented by local fare such as Laguna’s famous kesong puti with pan de sal, longganisang Laguna, and the infamous antigong adobo, where instead of using plain water when cooking it, coconut juice is used. After such a filling meal and seeing all the wonderful décor, I could not help purchasing a handmade back pillow from a store within the garden café that featured all kinds of Philippine-made products as a souvenir to remind me of this memorable experience long after our tour was done.
Quezon’s famous Pansit Habhab and Pansit Lucban are the same except that Pansit Lucban is served on a plate, while Pansit Habhab is wrapped in a leaf. And off we ventured into the turn-of-the-century mansions located in Sariaya, Quezon, where we entered the colossal Rodriguez house, where every corner had intricate decorations adorning them. There we were welcomed in pure Tagalog gallantry by Chuchay Marasigan, the caterer for the day, with the old folks being sung and danced to shots of fermented coconut wine, more popularly known as lambanog. Needless to say, the old stone houses took us back in time; adding to the nostalgia, costumes were made available for the general public to use in order to fully experience the lives of the coco hacenderos in the heyday of the Quezon province. I opted for a Maria Clara ensemble, while chef Ed became the center of attraction as he fit the friar costume like hand to glove. After a quick pictorial with the whole gang decked in period costume, we were then ushered into a buffet like no other, featuring authentic Quezon cuisine such as small pickled mangoes called pajo, sinigang na hipon in a coconut shell, and the infamous beef minanok, which is a stew cooked very much like our traditional tinola, but instead of chicken, beef is used. Here, I noticed a slight difference in the usage of coconut as an ingredient. While in Bicol, most fare is cooked using rich coconut milk, here in Quezon, coconut juice, as well as its meat, is more widely used as a condiment, making the taste of their dishes familiar and yet diverse in texture.
After a hearty lunch, we journeyed on to the grounds of Graceland Estates and Country Club, a place aptly named by the owners, who are fans of the late Elvis Presley. Here we were treated to delicious dishes like the Doña Aurora, an egg stuffed with minced seasoned pork and coated with more egg. It is named after President Manuel Quezon’s wife Doña Aurora because it was claimed to be her favorite.
Calamares with sweet chili sauce The second one was a variation on meatloaf called hardinera, where it is garnished with colorful vegetables to make it look like it’s resting on a lush garden. After a demonstration of how their famous Pansit Habhab is made, it was good to know that Pansit Habhab and Pansit Lucban are one and the same: it’s just that Pansit Lucban is served on a plate rather than being wrapped in a leaf.
After dinner our tour guide explained to us how much thought is behind all the intricate presentation. We relived the glorious past of Quezon in the Tagayan ritual, a practice with its fair share of negative publicity. Unknown to most people — myself included — a tanggero is the man who pours out the labanong, a fermented liquor derived from tuba, or coconut nectar, which must be harvested in the morning, making it sweet with a distinctive fermented taste. I discovered that a tanggero must first and foremost be a man of good repute, one known to be fair and wise as well as accurate, since he would need this crucial skill if he was to pour this precious liquid, store it in a glass jug, and balance it over his shoulder in order to dispense it skillfully. He has to make sure that he swings it just enough just to fill a cupita without any spillage; once perfected, this skill would earn a man respect and renown in the Tagayan ritual. Back in the day a tanggero was not merely a bartender; in fact, a tanggero would even have command over who within the circle got to drink first, meaning it would be the gentleman to his left or to his right, setting the rotation of the drink either clockwise or counter-clockwise. At special occasions, he would have to become an arbiter that would serve as a go-between two feuding parties; with his position as the tanggero he would have the authority to settle domestic disputes and misunderstandings among the men in his community. and yet this tradition is on the brink of extinction, owing to the fact that most tanggeros are in their twilight years and the young are not so easily fascinated with their artistry.
The author Heny Sison (right) with chefs Rosemarie Lim and Ed Quimson at the Rodriguez house in Sariaya, Quezon. After this enchanted evening we were shuttled off to Calle Budin, where every native delicacy local to the Quezon province is yours for the taking (for a price, of course), to bring home to your loved ones. Our tour then took us to a road paved by the artist known as Ugu Bigyan, a former banker who has found his calling in pottery, where aside from the stunning architecture of the property, his contemporary and practical works of art are seen in the various pottery products available in his store. The cuisine is uniquely profound as well. Take, for example, the pako salad — his own concoction was remarkably succulent, the secret of which, he divulges, is really quite simple: he insists on buying the freshest ingredients on his daily trips to the market. Locally available produce as well as traditional and simple ways of preparing them are the keys to making his flavorful life more tangible through food as well.
Table setting at Ugu Bigyan uses his pottery pieces. My gratitude goes out to San Miguel Corporation for giving us this memorable tour. I learned and experienced so many things in this culinary adventure that it is not enough to say that the Philippines — in my bird’s-eye view of three provinces alone — is beautiful. Rather I am amazed by all the magnificent things that surround us and, just like the dying traditions of Tagay and ancestral recipes, it would be great to take a slice of life from our own country and explore all the beautiful things it has to offer.
