Eats in Tayabas, Quezon: Budin, Buko de Halo-Halo, Kalabasa Pilipit
MANILA, Philippines — In Tayabas city proper, there is one street that is curiously named after a sweet treat juxtaposed to roads normally named after a prominent personality or a national hero.
Calle Budin has been a destination for many Tayabas visitors. On each side of the street, boxes of pasalubongs are neatly stacked on top of each other. Sausages, specifically the Quezon variety of Longganisa, beckon lovers of the garlicky kind to buy them by the dozen so they would have a week-long stock for their favorite breakfast combination of Longganisa and Sinangag (garlic fried rice).
One standout offering, however, are the round custardy baked treat with a caramelized top. These particularly stand out among the pasalubongs that can be bought in Calle Budin because they are the inspiration for the name of the street.
Cora's is among the most popular stalls in Calle Budin. It has been selling their take on the popular Budin or cassava cake since 1972.
"Kami naman, kahit medyo maliit 'yung kinikita namin, basta ma-maintain lang 'yung nakasanayan sa amin. Sabi nga nila, gusto nila 'yung sa amin," Ronaldo Reyes told Philstar.com.
Reyes inherited their Budin business from his parents, Godofredo and Corazon Reyes.
Ronaldo said his mother, Corazon, started making their famous Budin in 1972.
Since then and until he took helm of Cora's in 1994, their recipe is almost the same. He only did a little tweaking, but their recipe still has the basic ingredients of cheese, milk, eggs and vanilla.
Ronaldo is particularly proud of their hornohan, a kilometer away from their stall in Calle Budin. He said their old way of cooking their Budin through the hornohan has been keeping them maintain the quality of their Budin since 1972.
Ronaldo has gotten used to his daily routine, which involves preparing the ingredients the night before and starting the assembly of boxes of Budin ready for selling by 8 a.m.
He thinks his daughter will take over from him.
"Mas gusto niya mag-ganyan. Registered nurse 'yan," he said while pointing at his daughter who was busy taking orders from merrymakers who were attending the Mayohan sa Tayabas Festival last May.
Calle Budin was particularly busy in the middle of May since Tayabas, along with other Quezon cities and municipalities, were celebrating the feast of San Isidro Labrador, the patron saint of peasants and farmers, every May 15.
Crunchy, sweet treat
Apart from Budin, other Tayabas treats that tourists and locals alike are fond of are Kalabasa Pilipit.
Quezon travelers are familiar with the Palaisdaan restaurants, which are basically dining destinations where diners can have the freshest catch of the day cooked according to their liking while dining with a view, usually a pond where fishes and other marine creatures are swimming in.
On certain Palaisdaan restaurants, there will be woven baskets filled with imperfect oval-shaped fried pastry with caramelized sugar topping. These are called Kalabasa Pilipit and are perfect after feasting on richly flavored seafood dishes and meat stews.
Two-in-one dessert
Halo-Halo is especially a welcome treat in this humid weather. In Tayabas, it comes in an extra form when it is served on a fresh coconut shell with its top shave and succulent white meat still inside.
Visitors who would want to eat coconut meat and satisfy their craving for Halo-Halo can head on to Juan's Famous Buko de Halo-Halo. For only P141, one can enjoy a two-in-one dessert in this hot and humid weather.
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