LUZON’S HOMETOWN KAKANIN
Stuff yourself with the wonderful rice cake of the main island of the Philippines
Filipinos love to eat, and consume rice in many forms several times a day for breakfast, lunch, dinner, and betweenmeals snacks. We eat when we’re happy, and even when we gather to mourn. To satisfy this appetite, we rely on convenient, ready-to-eat preparations collectively known as kakanin (rice cake).
NORTHERN SNACKS
Every region throughout the archipelago has its own uniquekakanin. The Ilocanos have patupat, sticky rice grains in woven pouches of coconut leaves boiled in sugar cane juice. Ilocanos crush sugar cane to extract juice, which is also used to make vinegar and an alcoholic drink called basi.
Tinubong is a very unique snack made by combining rice flour, coconut milk, sugar, and strips of coconut. The name is derived from the Ilocano term “tubong,” which means section of bamboo. It is one of the most common take-home delicacies of tourists.
To make tinubong, the ingredients are stuffed inside bamboo tubes and grilled. The space between the charcoal and the tinubong should be enough to cook them but not to the point of burning the bamboo.
Tinupig or tupig is the most popular pasalubong from the region. It is made of ground rice, sugar, and young coconut strips wrapped together in banana leaves then broiled over charcoal. While most Filipinos consume putobumbong during Christmas and New Year, Ilocanos prefer tinupig.
FERMENTED SECRET
From Pangasinan comes putocalasiao, a type of rice cake steamed in bite-sized portions . It is made from semi-glutinous rice that is fermented for several days in earthen jars. It’s sweet, sticky, chewy, and addictive.
The Kapampangansare famous for tamales, originally a Mexican dish made from corn masa (a finely ground corn flour made into a dough) with chicken, pork or beef wrapped in corn husk or banana leaves. Pampanga’s tamalesuses ground rice instead of corn. Served for breakfast, tamales make great gifts because they travel well and keep for several days.
Also sought-after is the region’s version of majablanca (corn flour in pure carabao milk enriched with latik). Its romantic name tibok-tibok is from the way the thick mixture makes sounds like heartbeats while in the last stage of cooking.
LOST TOWN’S LEGACY
Bulacan is home for many varieties of suman and puto. Before the Metro Manila Commission was created, Polo was a part of Bulacan. The putong Pulo is a popular Filipino delicacy native to Valenzuela City, which was formerly known as Polo town in the 1920s. This local rice cake was a recipient of the Manuel Quezon Presidential Award as a native delicacy known for its exotic taste and long shelf life at the Manila Carnival in 1931.
I remember puto vendors boarding passenger buses in Polo to peddle two types of puto orange and white. The white ones were light and airy putong Puti while the orange-brown were small kutsinta. Both were great with fresh grated coconut, but I could finish a dozen pieces plain before the vendor could even get off the bus.
ANTIPOLO’S SUMAN SA IBOS
May is pilgrimage month, the time to visit the shrine of the Nuestra Senora de Buen Viaje in Antipolo. The trip also used to include a picnic at Hinulugang Taktak, a famous waterfall and tourist destination.
To complete the ritual, visitors gorge on the town’s specialties Kasuy, duhat, ripe mango, and suman sa ibus, made of glutinous rice soaked in coconut milk and steamed in tubes made from young coconut leaves.
Every pilgrim visiting Antipolo is expected to buy suman sa ibus for friends and family back home. The last uneaten pieces are good fried and served with coco jam or brown sugar.
BAKED GOODIES
South of Manila, the fertile land is home to coconut farms. One of the region’s most delicious products is buko (coconut) pie, patterned after American pies. Originally introduced in Los Banos, buko pie is now sold everywhere, with many shops as far as Tagaytay claiming to be the original.
Cassava Cake has no Tagalog name, although it is generally accepted to be a local invention. Baked in an oven in petal pans, it contains eggs, coconut milk, and grated cassava. Recent innovations include the addition of cheese, butter, condensed milk, and even ube. Cassava was brought in from Mexico via the galleons from Acapulco.
Filipinos love to eat, and consume rice in many forms several times a day for breakfast, lunch, dinner, and between-meals snacks… To satisfy this appetite, we rely on convenient, ready-to-eat preparations collectively known as kakanin.