Tara na sa Pilipinas- Foods that remind me of the places I've been

"Wag maging dayuhan sa sariling bansa", that's what my grandma told me because, despite her residency in the USA, she kept on coming back home and encouraged me to travel within the Philippines. The result? I never went abroad, even once, char.

I love my country but I do dream of going outside the Philippines. And, whenever I travel to a particular city or municipality, there is always food associated with it. Food is life, right? And because of that, I'm gonna share with you the kind of food that reminds me of a place I've been.

Let's get this rolling so you'll start drooling:

Hanging rice, Barbecue, Lechon baboy, and Lechon manok (BBQ, roasted pig, and chicken)

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Of course, that would be my hometown, Iligan City. It offers the cheapest, most delicious barbecues, roasted pig and chicken, ever, plus the hanging rice. Who doesn't know what hanging rice is? It is rice cooked in coconut leaves and once it is cooked, it will be hung for people to just get it when they eat. Yum yum, now I am hungry. My friends and I would always treat ourselves by going to the BBQ house and ordering our favorite BBQ, may it be chicken or pork. Then we'll have hanging rice and soft drinks- solb (solve). I have been here in Metro Manila for so long but nothing has beaten the BBQ of Iligan City.

Sinugba Tula or Tinola Kinilaw (SUTUKIL) and Buko halo

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"Sutukil" is derived from the term "Shoot to kill" and I guess it got trending in Cebu first and then spread throughout Visayas and Mindanao.

Sugba means grilled, tula or tinola means soup, kinilaw or kilaw is ceviche.

I could only imagine one place that offers these great foods- CDO or Cagayan de Oro City.

There are a lot of BBQ houses in CDO compared to Iligan but I had the best SUTUKIL when a leader from my then church cooked them. It was the best, ever and no one could cook it like that except that brother. You'd definitely say it's the best day of your life.

I also had the first buko or coconut halo-halo of my life in CDO. Here in Metro Manila, we have Buko ni Fruitas but in CDO, you'll taste the wonders of the "City of Golden Friendship" through the buko-halo. Fresh and delicious young coconut mixed with ice cream and some sweet treats.

Should I forget the Bibingka or Rice Cake?

Bibingka

Of course not, if there's a place known for rice cakes that would be Misamis Oriental, the province of Cagayan de Oro City. You will see an array of stores offering rice cakes. You could be full by the free taste each store offers. You just go to choose which one you'd like and you'll have a hard time because they are all yummy!

Otap, Masareal, and "All you can eat affordable food" especially seafood

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Masarael, made from powdered peanuts is one of my favorite delicacies from Cebu. I beg you to give me one if you have one, please!!! And Otap, my goodness, Otap from Shamrock!! I haven't tasted an original Cebu Lechon, perhaps I did, but it wasn't fresh so I couldn't conclude that Cebu Lechon is better than Iligan Lechon. Sorry folks.

But one thing that I couldn't forget about Cebu is the affordability of "All You Can Eat" restaurants. I think the price I saw for an all-you-can-eat lunch was 130 that time when we had our field trip, isn't that affordable? And I remember eating all the clams and other seafood because I had to grab the chance lol.

I miss you, Cebu! And soon I'm gonna be there with my family.

Suman, Binaki, and Tablea from Cacao seeds

License-free image from Unsplash.com

How could I forget my mother's hometown, Calamba, Misamis Occidental? They had that chocolate "suman", "binaki" and "tablea" from Cacao seeds made by my grandma herself.

That province actually makes delicacies differently. If you don't know what "binaki" is, it is like a cake made from ground corn and the shape is like "baki" or frog. Suman is either cassava or sticky rice but the chocolate "suman" is made of ground sticky rice mixed with local chocolate. And the "tablea" is flavorless chocolate from Cacao seeds that can be turned into a chocolate drink.

Closing Thoughts

I had great memories of the places because of the food that I tasted. And I wanted to taste them again when I get back. Each food really represents the culture and the uniqueness of the locality and I could proudly say that the Philippines has one of the most delicious cuisines and delicacies. Perhaps I will change my mind when I go overseas and taste a real Italian brick-oven pizza or Carbonara.

So to my foreign friends, I hope you will visit my country one day so you will be able to experience how "fun it is in the Philippines".

Tara na sa Pilipinas- let's go to the Philippines!

Author's Note: All content is original unless stated otherwise. The Bibingka image source was from Wikipedia.com, and the rest of the images were from Unsplash.com

THANK YOU VERY MUCH FOR STAYING WITH ME.

May 5, 2022

©HermaniGinger