Baclayonons showcase their heritage

from Cebu Daily News

Baclayon town in Bohol is always a joy to visit.

There is a languid atmosphere in the streets that makes one walk slower. The architecture of the old houses invites one to linger for a closer look. The gardens are a profusion of colors. No landscaper touched these. On a moon-bereft night, it is still safe to walk the streets. Drive out to its outskirts and marvel at how clean the surroundings are.

I was fortunate to be invited as one of the judges of a cooking contest here this summer. Little did I realize that my passion for heritage and my love for cooking would be harnessed in this manner in Baclayon.

One of the perks of being a judge was the freedom to go around the different categories of dishes.

I experimented with the Cabcab which became my favorite among the merienda and dessert entries. Since latik (a concoction of sugar with coconut syrup cooked until sticky) is a veritable no-no for a diabetic like me, I tried to eat it with Hinalang na Manok (minced chicken with lots of sili, cooked in coconut milk) — it was perfect! Step aside Mexican tortilla, kropek and nachos, Cabcab is the penultimate accompaniment to dips and salsa.

The recipe for Cabcab reads that cassava is grated and then steamed. The resulting mash is spread on a leaf, the size of the cabcab will depend on the size of the leaf used. After drying in the sun, the cabcab can be stored for a long period. The dried cabcab is fried and tastes perfect dipped in latik.

“Lutong Inato – Ato Jud Ni” featured heirloom recipes from the residents of the town of Baclayon.

Each contestant submitted a recipe accompanied by a narrative of the source or history of the recipe. A wealth of culinary lore fell on the lap of the organizers, the Bahandi (Bohol Ancestral Houses Inc.), the Ayala Foundation and the Baclayon LGU.

Fifty-two dishes graced the judging tables. The categories were Meat, Poultry, Seafood, Soups, Vegetables, Dessert and Merienda. All the judges had their hands and mouths full with an average of 21 dishes to taste and rate.

“Sangkuga,” a dessert or merienda, was one of those that caught my attention.

It became popular at a time when coconut trees were attacked by insects and young coconuts fell from the trees.

The people made use of the young coconuts and scraped the soft inner shell and cooked this in coconut milk with muscovado sugar. This was served with freshly grated mature coconut meat.

This is an example of “when you get lemons, make lemonade.”

Vegetable dishes and soups featured the leaves of the Bago plant.

Soft and shiny with a gentle taste, these leaves garnished soups and added a colorful look to the utan bisaya.

The unripe mature fruit of the nangka (jackfruit) was the farmer’s meat then as now. There were three versions of Humba Nangka, all tasteful, differentiated only by the amount of coconut milk and sili (pepper) added to it.

The soups merged the farm and the sea.

A soup made with “Supsup” or turong-turong, was one of those served with coconut milk.

The Supsup or turong-turong is a conical shell where the pointed end is cut off to ease the sucking of the meat from the opening, hence the name. Delicious with coconut milk mixed in the soup and lots of kamunggay (horse radish).

Another outstanding soup was the lavender hued Arroz caldo. The color came from the ube kinampay (violet-colored tuber) added to it.

The meat recipes were loaded with cholesterol — but who cared about cholesterol in the olden days?

There were three versions of humba, all tasty with trembling fat.

Chicharon, crispy with the fat reduced to kinapusan, that Waterloo of every true blue Visayan came in a banana leaf with the ubiquitous sukang halang (spicy vinegar).

The most notable of the meat dishes was the Ginaling Karne Gilukot sa Dahon Bago. Minced meat flavored with garlic and sibuyas bisaya was wrapped in Bago leaves much like the Greeks wrapping meat in grape leaves.

These were placed in a Kulon (clay pot) with tomatoes, green onions, slivers of ginger, salt and then covered with coconut milk. This was gently simmered until the liquid was reduced to half.

Our grandmothers must have been highly imaginative in the kitchen. Otherwise, how can they come up with something like this?

The seafood and poultry entries were also interesting. There was litob (a popular bivalve) served in a half shell which was sautéed in garlic, onions and tomatoes.

How can one imagine Boholano cooking without crab?

Of course, there was Rellenong Lambay (crab relleno) and Nilubihang Kasag (crab in coconut milk).

Several dishes started with the word “pina-isang.”

Apparently this meant the ingredients were wrapped in banana leaf and steamed.

Presented for merienda and dessert were Binignit, Putong Kamoting Kahoy, Cassava Budbod and two kinds of Tira-tira — one was soft, the other as hard as a jawbreaker (a kind of round hard candy).

There were three kinds of latik, the first two varied in thickness while the last one had mashed camote (sweet potato) added to it and sprinkled with lots of ground peanuts.

Baclayon is a town quietly fighting for its heritage.

These gentle folks have their feet in the 20th century but are very watchful that the cultural heritage of their town, be it tangible or intangible, would not be swallowed by western influences.

The “Lutong Inato — Ato Jud Ni “ is an effort of the Baclayanons to stem the tide of fastfood restaurants and foreign cuisine and to remind the taste buds of the Boholanos that native cooking is still alive! This should be lauded. Ato jud ni!

Cabcab pic by http://www.flickr.com/photos/pretty_wicked/

(Tessie's Sweets & Pastries, a Bohol Profoods member, is from Baclayon town.)