Lasang Pinoy 21, Anniversary Edition
Saturday, 3 November 2007 | By Mike | Category: Asian, Culture & Tradition, Featured Articles, Filipino / Pinoy, Glorious Food, Ilocano, Lasang Pinoy, Pinoy Food, RegionalCOOKING FOR HEROES
When
However, while listening to a lecture on JUAN LUNA by Ambeth Ocampo, Chairman of the National Historical Institute, as Sitio Remedios in Ilocos Norte paid homage to the 150th birth anniversary of the artist last 27th October 2007, I immediately changed my mind and discarded the initial draft of an entry I have already written about Bonifacio. The lecture with very interesting anecdotes and never before seen photographic presentation about the artist’s life got me inspired.
JUAN LUNA y NOVICIO, the first internationally known Filipino painter was born in Badoc, the southernmost town of
The Luna family moved to
At a young age of 20 in 1877, he left for
And for the next decade or so, LUNA lived, worked, and traveled around Europe –
In May 1894, a year after the tragic events in his life and after 17 years of absence, LUNA arrived in
AN ILOCANO FEAST
Seventeen years is a long time to be away from home. Being away in a foreign land also meant not eating food one has been used to. Even though it is said (supposedly in a book published by Ateneo de Manila which I have yet to read) that LUNA’s mother-in-law, Doña Juliana Pardo de Tavera, would prepare Filipino dishes for their guests during special gatherings in Paris, it would still be almost impossible to fully recreate the real flavour of Filipino dishes if limited to using only locally-available ingredients. This is based on my own experiences while I was away from the
For LUNA’s homecoming, I will organize a grand “bienvenida” (welcome) event fit for a king where he and guests will partake on a feast of delectable spread that will feature traditional, home-cooked Filipino and Spanish-inspired dishes which he has been possibly accustomed to eating during his early years in Manila, and not to forget – dishes which originated from his native Ilocos Norte province, which, he may have already forgotten.
The Ilocano fare in the spread will be a bit more extensive than its other counterpart regional dishes that will be served. Exotic Ilocano dishes will indeed be the highlight of the feast.
The hardy Ilocano fare will include the succulent (1) pokpoklo seaweed and tomato salad; the seasonal (5) abuus (delectable eggs of fire ants sautéed in tomatoes); piping hot and sour sinanglaw (soup made of cow or goat sweetmeats cooked in onions, garlic, kamias, and bile for the bittersweet taste that the late food guru Doreen Fernandez identified as uniquely Ilocano); the ubiquitous (2) pinakbet (a medley of freshly harvested garden vegetables stewed in anchovy paste); the cholesterol-deadly (3) bagnet (deep fried pork belly) served with KBL or kamatis-bagoong-lasona condiment; ipon (white fish fry of the dulong variety, sautéed with peppercorns); dinardaraan (dry Ilocano version of dinuguan, meat stewed in its own blood); the igado (pork, liver, green peas and bell peppers cooked in vinegar and black pepper); the (6) poqui-poqui (mashed, boiled eggplant sauteed with tomatoes and eggs); and the original (4) Batac empanada made of mashed mung bean (monggo) sprouts, longganiza, and whole hard-boiled egg wrapped in annatto coloured thin pastry dough deep-fried to a golden crisp and served with sukang Iloco (black Ilocano vinegar), garlic and onion dipping sauce.
For desserts, everyone will be treated to inkalti (trunk of the male papaya cooked in molasses); (1) impaltaw (glutinous rice wrapped in coconut leaves and cooked in molasses); lubi lubi (boiled green bananas mashed with margarine, molasses and other ingredients, the Ilocano version of nilupak); dudol (another rice cake made of powdered glutinous rice with coconut milk and molasses, similar to the majablanca); as well as (2) tupig, (3) nilapet, patupat (other Ilocano variations of the suman).
And maybe, LUNA will get to try the first (4) pinakbet pizza in the world direct from Herencia Cafe in Paoay!
Mangan tayon!
Very Ilocano talaga and the sauteed abuus sounds really exotic!
I wonder how Johnny would react to his beloved pinakbet turned into a pizza? Hehehe!
Derrrm! You beat me into it! But very, very well done, Mr. M.
I’m impressed because you highlighted even the lesser-known Ilocano dishes such as igado and poqui-poqui, as well as the galaxy of sumans in that region.
[…] Mina prepares an Ilocano suite for Juan Luna’s bienvenida. The menu is so impressive and exotic (check out the fire ant […]
wow, all of these sound exotic and foreign to me. Ilocos would definitely be in the itinerary on the next philippine trip. thanks for the very interesting post.
Bryan,
Thanks for hosting this round! But where’s your entry? Hehehe . . .
Dessie,
Thanks for joining LP21 . . . Indeed, Ilocos is a must-try place to visit on your next trip back home . . .
Wow, you really did go all out for this Lasang Pinoy! What a feast! Pinakbet Pizza?!! I wonder how that would taste.
my eyes are full. but my tummy started rumbling. :( waaaah…
that pakbet pizza is a must-try…
Nagimas ngarud manong Mike,
It’s truly an Ilocano feast that make us crave for all those Ilocano native food, especially like me who is at overseas. Thanks for your impressive post manong Mike.
Marvin,
My entry was inspired by all the food that was served to us during the Luna homage at Sitio Remedios two eeeks ago except for the abuus which we had in previous trips last summer (they only are available during that period).
As for the pinakbet pizza, Herencia Cafe in Paoay is getting better with it. It was my 4th trip to Ilocos and the pinakbet pizza tasted better! Pinakbet pizza tastes like any other pizza with the additional flavours of the vegetable toppings cooked pinakbet-style. The anchovy is replaced with the local bagoong.
Bursky,
Yes, the pinaket pizza is now a must-try for visitors to Ilocos Norte.
Ut-Man,
Wen ngarud, nakaimimas latta! I know how it feels when you’re overseas and craving for the real native food . . .
Curious about the pakbet pizza. I’ve heard of sisig and longganiza pizza but never pakbet. I wonder how it tastes like.
Em Dy,
As I’ve mentioned earlier, it’s yummy - like a real pizza with cheese base and they’re getting better at it every time I visit. The crust is thin and crispy.
They also have other versions with different Ilocano dish toppings like - the Ilocandia pizza with Batac longganiza and the Poqui-poqui pizza with poqui-poqui topping (mashed eggplant sauteed with tomatoes and onions). I have yet to try the dinardaraan (dinuguan pizza). There was so much to eat (aside from pizza) during my last trip that I didn’t eat the other pizzas. Hopefully I’ll get to try them when I go back next weekend . . . :-)
Abuus and pokpoklo seaweed salad…two of my favorite exotic ilocano dishes! I hope you’ve tried those.There’s more favorites i remember…the dudon (grasshopper) and abal abal…ask about these on your next trip to ilocos.
Mang Mayk! I’m back! I finally find time to read all LP entries. Now reading your feast of Ilocano spread (since yours is in the bottom of the round-up) haay nagutom na talaga ako! Must be the best feast of his life…
Yvette,
Yes, I tried the abuus last March as it was in season then. Ngayon wala. I’ll be back in Ilocos on thursday for another event . . .
Iska,
Ako din ginugutom everytime I think of it . . . And yes, it must have been the best feast :-)
Sali ako! You just named all my favorite dishes! I was just talking with a friend and abuus was mentioned. This was a delicacy in my mom’s hometown too! I have a faint recollection of tasting it, but I wish I could taste it again now.
I didn’t get to taste pokpoklo on my last visit, but I did have my fill of ararusep. Yummy!
Great post, Mike!
Thanks, JMom! You should time your next visit to Philippines (and Ilocos) when it’s the season for abuus . . . summer months . . .
JMom, looking forward to your LP hosting . . . :-)
Wow! What a grand bienvenida for Luna! I can appreciate this post even more so now after having just tried most of what you featured above. I had such a gastronomic great time up in Ilocos last weekend and meeting you was a nice bonus! :) I’m sorry I wasn’t able to run back and say goodbye that morning. (BTW, thanks for finding my earring! haha) How was the Guling-Guling fiesta?
Would you have a poqui poqui recipe to share? I LOVED that dish!
Hi, Christine!
It was really a nice surprise meeting you in Ilocos last weekend! Such a small world! However short it was — I enjoyed the conversations very much! Joey found the pearl part of your earring while I did the lock (lock - is that the right term? hahaha!) . . .
The Guling-Guling Festival went well. It was a big improvement from last year’s . . . I can’t wait to finish my post about it :-) as well as my other foodie adventures in Ilocos for the past year . . .
Since it’s Chinese new year today, perhaps I’d make it my new year’s resolution to post more entries and lessen my backlog! hahahaha!!!
The ‘poqui-poqui’ is actually one of the backlogs . . . Will post it soon . . . :-)
Haha we share the same resolution! And resolutions , we all know, are so difficult to keep. Hay. Am looking forward to the rest of the posts and poqui poqui recipe. :) Thanks!
[…] must in savoring the heritage of Ilocos in Sitio is indulging on popular delectable Ilocano fare at the resort’s Abraõ Restaurant: empanada (stuffed pastry), longganisa (sausage), pancit miki […]
[…] Part of my backlog posts is about a destination in Ilocos Norte I briefly mentioned in one of my posts and my entry to Lasang Pinoy 21. […]