N. Vizcaya eyeing world feat with longest tupig

SOLANO, Nueva Vizcaya — The "longest and biggest fever" catches on. This time, it’s this Nueva Vizcaya town which is eyeing a Guinness feat by churning out the longest tupig.

Tupig is made of glutinous rice known in Iluko as diket. With sugar, the milled diket is flavored with semi-pulverized peanuts and corn or any desired flavor, and wrapped in banana or coconut leaves. It is then grilled for at least five minutes.

A kilo of flavored diket can produce at least 100 pieces of banana or coconut leaf-wrapped tupig, one of the Ilocanos’ favorite delicacies.

Councilor Regie Valino-Valdez, who chairs the municipal tourism council, said at least 10 tupig flavors will be unveiled during the town’s fiesta celebration in May.

More than a year ago, neighboring Isabela unveiled what it billed as the world’s biggest armchair. — Charlie Lagasca