Melo Villareal
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Tsinelas, Pahiyas, and Coconuts: Traveling in the Southern Tagalog Kulinarya Caravan
In line with the Department of Tourism campaign “Visit the Philippines 2015” is the “Islands Philippines Fun Caravans” by the Philippine Tour Operators Association (PHILTOA). The project “Islands Philippines Fun Caravans”, which was launched in March this year, uses a creative and fun way of promoting tourism in the country with its several caravans (five major caravans and three minor caravans), each scheduled to travel around a specific province or two, ranging from three to seven days.
Sunrise in Sampaloc Lake
The second “Islands Philippines Fun Caravan” to “roll off” is the Southern Tagalog Kulinarya Caravan. The said caravan is divided into two parts: the first leg (April 25-27, 2015) and the second leg (April 27-29, 2015).
I was lucky enough to join the first and second legs, and because the participants from the first leg were joined by a new set, the caravan was twice as fun!
Early Morning in Sampaloc Lake
We left our departure point, Talisay, early in the morning, and headed to San Pablo City, Laguna—our first stop for this caravan. We also arrived early, just before sunrise, at our destination. We, the participants, went to Sampaloc Lake for passport stamping and a short welcome program.
After we got briefed during the program, we proceeded to Casa San Pablo for a cooking demonstration and also for breakfast.
Pinaete
I learned that Sampaloc Lake is one of the seven freshwater lakes in San Pablo, which are sources of ingredients for the city’s local cuisines. The owners of Casa San Pablo also explained their restaurant’s menu to us, which they wittily call the “Seven Lakes Breakfast”.
Sinigang na Ayungin
During the cooking demo, the chefs served seven local dishes, which included a bowlful of Sinigang na Ayungin. The chef said that the freshwater fish Ayungin, which is very abundant not only in Sampaloc but also in San Pablo City’s six other freshwater lakes, was best served as sinigang.
Sweet San Pablo Longganisa
They also served Pinaete, a dish made of sliced shrimps (harvested from the local Palakpakin Lake) cooked in coconut milk.
We also had itlog na maalat for breakfast. It went well with the tomatoes and onions it was served with. The dried Biya (a fish) eaten with the itlog na maalat made the breakfast somewhat more nostalgic, and the addition of the Longganisa ng San Pablo, with its garlicky aftertaste and mild sweetness, gave us all that homey, early-morning feel that Laguna offers.
Dried Biya
We had a side dish which the locals called Pantapik. It was salty and sweet as it was made of roasted tomatoes, and pickled fruits and vegetables.
We had hot Tsokolate topped with crispy pinipig, just to dampen the aftertastes of all those scrumptious local cuisines we just had.
Lambanog Shots in Casa San Pablo Bed & Breakfast
After breakfast, we embark on yet another gastronomical adventure under the coconut trees. The local cooks showed us how to make simple recipes out of coconuts. The resort manager explained to us how Lambanog, a coconut wine, was made before we all had a shot!
Pantapik – local side dish
Like most provinces in Southern Tagalog, Laguna is abundant in coconuts, which is why most of the province’s food uses coconuts as a key ingredient. Aside from the Pinaete (the one we had for breakfast), there’s also the Kulawo, which is made from the smoky flavor produced by slightly burned coconut milk, and with roasted eggplant.
Underground Cemetery of Nagcarlan
We stuffed ourselves with San Pablo’s best food, and after that, we had to say goodbye to Casa San Pablo and say hello to the town of Nagcarlan. Nagcarlan is best known for its Underground Cemetery… where we had a brief stop. It was followed by a visit to the Municipal Building to get our passports stamped and for a short welcoming reception.
Menudong Gulay
After that, we were shown a cooking demo of Menudong Gulay. And who said we were stuffed already? Of course, we had to taste Nagcarlan’s Menudong Gulay! We all had our morning merienda of menudong gulay, pianono, and some espasol for sweets. We were also served fresh coconut juice for drinks while watching some lively performances from a local marching band.
Espasol from Nagcarlan
From Nagcarlan, the caravan proceeded to Liliw, which opened its customary Tsinelas Festival days earlier just for the caravan. The streets were decorated with very colorful umbrellas, which immediately set everyone in a festive mood. The mayor, Honorable Ericson Jovellano Sulibit, and his wife personally greeted us, participants. Not long after, we were also greeted by a talented group of local hip hop dancers. We danced our way to the passport stamping area.
Tsinelas Festival
Before we all went shopping for our souvenirs and our own pairs of colorful tsinelas, a local baker showed us how to make a delicacy called the Uraro. We went to Saint John the Baptist Parish Church afterward.
Saint John the Baptist Parish Church in Liliw, Laguna
After Liliw, the caravan went to the municipality of Majayjay. The welcoming reception was held at the San Bartolome Apostol Parish Church, which, according to the locals, is almost a century old. After our passports were stamped there, we were guided to the office of the Mayor, Victorino Rodillas.
Inside Saint Gregory The Great Parish Church in Majayjay Laguna
Welcome Reception at Costales Nature Farm
Another place we visited during the caravan was Costales Nature Farm, located at the foot of Mt. Banahaw. But it wasn’t just some farm. We were surprised to see folkloric dancers from Southern Luzon State University greet us with their colorful costumes at the reception! After that, we had a tour around the farm. The majority of the crops and products from the farm were organic.
Mrs. Josephine Costales is giving a short talk about Agri-Tourism
A cooking demo of Atsarang Ubod, made from pickled vegetables, served as our appetizer for our lunch of organic lechon and organic vegetable salad afterward.
Organic Egg Farming – Costales Nature Farms
The caravan’s final stop was at Lucban, Quezon, a town famous for its Pahiyas Festival. We stopped at Buddy’s Commissary, where we all saw lines of kilos of sweet, juicy, oily, sisig, lechong kawali, and crispy pata. It wasn’t dinner time then, sadly!
Buddy’s Lechon Kawali
We were greeted by yet another lively group of rondalla-playing youth at the reception. We were served Pancit Hab-hab. We got our passports stamped one last time that day.
Pancit Lucban
We went to the town center of Lucban, where we witnessed a short demonstration on how to make “kiping”. A kiping is a colorful leaf-like wafer made from ground rice and food coloring. The ground rice is poured onto a Kabal leaf and then steamed. The mold is then carefully removed from the leaf and left out to harden in its final form. The kiping, which requires finesse and patience, is used to decorate the houses during the Pahiyas Festival. We tried doing a kiping ourselves, and it was not easy!
How to make Kiping
After immersing ourselves in the festivity of the town, we headed to the Municipal Hall. We were entertained by another cultural performance by the locals. The performers played mostly cultural dances and songs with their rondalla instruments, but the musicians gave the music a little twist, turning it into a reggae-inspired, groovy beat that made us all dance. The night ended like a party, with the music and the whole town’s festivity.
After partying and dancing and all that, we all headed to Patio Rizal, our overnight accommodation. We were all beat, and the music from Lucban all played in our heads as we finally dozed off to rest for the day.
The Philippine Tour Operators Association (PHILTOA), Inc. is a non-stock and non-profit organization of DoT-accredited tour operators and allied members actively involved in the advocacy of responsible tourism. For inquiries about upcoming Island Philippines Fun Caravan schedules, please contact Tel. Nos.: (02) 812 4513; (02) 822 6964 | Fax No.: (02) 817 4608 | Email: info@philtoa.com; philtravelmart@philtoa.com Website: www.philtoa.com.
Next: A Gastronomical and Historical Journey in the Southern Tagalog Region
