Part 1
I have always been wanting to go on a culinary journey somewhere in the southern Luzon. Until recently I received an invitation from the Philippine Tour Operators Association (PHILTOA) to embark on a culinary adventure in the provinces of Laguna, Quezon and Batangas.
At first I was hesitant to join the trip as i have conflicting schedules. Until I finally I confirmed to reserve my slot.
I was. More than excited!
April 27 i left home pretty early and headed to Manila Intercon Hotel to meet the other media joining the tour. Because of the Aliwan Fiesta i only joined thr second leg of the tour.
Just before sunrise we were already at the SLEX heading towards San Pablo City. This partof Laguna is also known for irs moniker as the City of seven lakes. And our first destination is the famed Lame Sampaloc where we got our passports stamped. After which we proceeded to Casa San Pablo for our breakfast.. To start our day right we had the seven lakes breakfast. Its actually a breakfast consisting of seven dish where its main ingredients are sourced from the lakes of san Pablo.
We had Si igang na ayungin, Pinaete (bagoong), Dried biya from laguna de bay, Itlog na maalat from the nearby town of Victoria, Longganisa ng san pablo, Tsokolate at pinipig, and Pantapik (side dishes) dishes were served either with rice or pan de sal. I got to try the pina ete and it actually tastes a little bit similar to the Ilonggo shrimp paste locally k own as Guinamos except that the pinaete has creamy hints since it uses coconut milk for added flavor. The dried biya is really good it has the cru ch similar to danggit of Cebu and lightly marinated to highlight its flavor.
We capped our breakfast with a piping hot tablea chocolate topped with pinipig. The pinipig adds more texture to the chocolate drink and is a perfect beverage in the morning.
And the eating simply doesn’t end there. We still have a lot to sample!
After breakfast we listened to a short talk about coconuts how it became so popular in southern Tagalog and how it once powered the economy. From there we were also introduced to various drinks and desserts coconut has to offer from its flowerbud stage (tubá) until the desicated coconut stage mainly used for macaroons. I tell you, theres a lot of foods in between!
From San Pablo our next caravan destination is the town of Nagcarlan. And our first stop in this part of Laguna is the famed Nagcarlan Underground Cemetery. Beautiful as ever. The last time i was in agcarlan was sometime in 2006 when I did the Laguna Loop tour. I am quite fascinated at its ornate gates and the mortuary chapel has a lot of history too. From the underground Cemetery we walked to the municipal hall where we were met by the mayor and town officials.
At the Nagcarlan Municipal Hall we got to experience howto cook the local dish known as Menudong Gulay. It’s actually is similar to vegetable curry. We also sampled the popular Nagcarlan kakanin called Espasol.
From Nagcarlan we then traveled further to the town of Liliw. Known to be the tsinelas or slippers capita of Laguna Liliw is home to some of the most durable and really affordable footwear. More than justthe footwear we also got to visitone of the most beautiful brick churches in Laguna and sample its delights too! For this caravan we got to sample the uraro cookies. Its actually one of my favorite cookies. Its lightly sweetened and the texture is very fine.
From Liliw we moved to the next town of Majayjay. Our first stop was at the chuch where we were welcomed by some kids in a dance number. We lso had our passports stamped here.
From Majayjay church we traveled to Costales Farm for our organic lunch. We also got to tour around the facility where different varieties of herbs lettuce fishes and even swine are raised here.
While having lunch we were entertained by the community-based Lucban Community Rondalla Ensemble for a medley of classical music. The kids were once recognized as the champion of National Music Competition for Young Artists (NAMCYA) it was indeed a grrat prude for Southern Tagalog Region to gave talented kids gather snd hone their skills in stringed instruments.
From costales farm in Majayjay Laguna we then traveled to our last destination for the day:Lucban Quezon.
More than just the famed Pahiyas Festival, Lucban is also known for gstronomic delights like the longganisang Lucban Pancit habhab and the Hardinera.
Upon arrival we had our passports stamped at the church yard where we also got to observe how the kiping is made. Kiping is the colorful leaf-like component used in decorating the homes duri g the pahiyas is is usually of ground rice and food color. It is poured over a certain kind of leaf and steamed. It is then removed from the leaf and left to harden.
After the kiping demo we also got to sample pancit habhba and thr famed lingganisang lucan. This sausage variety is actually more garlicmy and has lots of pepper on it.
It was just the first day of our southern tagalog kulinarya caravan and we have just started. We have already done so much. We still ha e two more days to explore the exquisite flavors of this region.
Stay tuned for parts 2 and 3!