Tutubi's home province is Laguna and it's no secret that his favorites from his home province is the popular, and traffic-casuing bakeshop of Orient The Original Buko Pie in Los Banos, Laguna.

Tutubi wishes a branch of the bakeshop opens in Manila or along the Rizal-Manila East Road en route to Quezon City that he usually takes, unlike the longer Calamba-SLEX route.

A few months ago, he chanced upon a billboard along Tagaytay-Sta. Rosa Road about the impending opening of the first branch of the popular bakeshop that has become synonymous with Laguna: The Original Buko Pie Bakeshop

the front signage of the bakeshop is nice, the original original shop in Los Banos is plain yet attracts many people and create traffic in the area. The Tagaytay Branch is actually in Silang, Cavite inside a Caltex gas station

the counter at the bakeshop. the menu and price list indicates PhP150.00 price per buko pie then. Tutubi returned there recently and price is now PhP170.00. Other products here are pineapple pies, espasol, cassava cake, and silvanas

The best buko pie in the Philippines, now available to Tagaytay visitors if they pass by Tagaytay - Sta. Rosa road. Best served hot, not too sweet with soft crust and just baked just right

The Original Buko Pie of Laguna, is still the best buko pie in the Philippines.
Should you challenge it, let Tutubi know so he can sample the challenger and give you his unbiased answer as this endorsement does not come with freebies nor because it came from Laguna. There are many posts here where he bashed restaurants and places in Laguna. :P

How to get there:
pass by Tagaytay- Sta Rosa Road, quite near PNP Academy but just before you reach Paseo de Sta. Rosa. Bakeshop open time is not known nor its telephone number for advance order/reservation or even franchise inquiry


Related Buko Pie Posts:

El Mare Buko Pie,
Orient The Original Buko Pie
G&B Buko Pie

Labels: Metro Tagaytay, Pasalubong

As Tutubi saw featured on TV, when he was able to visit Marikina he went out of his way to search where Rocha's Special Puto and Kutsinta is located only to find out his friend exactly knew where it was.

Puto is a Filipino dessert (kakanin) of steamed rice cake where you can see several regional variants like puto manapla of Negros Occidental, puto Biñan of Laguna, Sayongsong of Surigao, puto polo of Valenzuela, and even the simple puto calasiao of Pangasinan

mouth watering puto marikina comes at a price of PhP110.00 for fifty pieces.


An office mate of Tutubi, a native of Marikina, claims Aling Remy's Original Special Puto Kutsinta is the first, original and the best (yes, another instance of the use Original so much like the The Original Buko Pie of Los Baños, Laguna and whose stall is just about 100 meters from Rocha's Puto along J.P. Rizal.

Tutubi was able to find Rocha's Puto along J.P. Rizal Street just between Marikina Shoe Museum and Our Lady of the Abandoned Parish Church. Down the road lies D'Original Aling Remy's Special Puto Kutsinta. (click here for a very detailed map of Marikina created by the cool folks of OpenStreetMap and other information how to get to Marikina)

Tutubi has yet to taste the Original Aling Remy's Special Puto Kutsinta to compare with Rocha's Puto so he cannot comment. What's known about the origins of Puto Marikina is actually the original makers were from Polo, Valenzuela which makes Puto Marikina progenies of the delicious puto polo.

Rocha's Delicious Puto and Kutsinta
Address: 595 E Mendoza St Sto. Niño, Marikina
Telephone Number: +63.2.914.1519

more regional puto recipe variations:
puto manapla of Negros Occidental: simple like puto calasiao
Sayongsong of Surigao: rice cakes wrapped by conical shaped banana leaves
puto calasiao of Pangasinan that you can find along White Plains Avenue in Quezon City, on Granada St. San Juan, and Gimore Avenue also in QC.

these are very different from Puto Bumbong, Puto Seko of Laguna and even Puto Tabla in Bicol

Labels: Marikina, Pasalubong

Puto, recipe whose main ingredient is rice (what else) and sugar and cooked by steaming, has many variants including the simple puto calasiao (pangasinan), puto polo (of valenzuela), puto binan (laguna) and the puto of marikina (origin related to polo).

Puto Manapla though is quite similar to the sayongsong of Surigao where the aroma and flavor of banana leaves is evident.

Puto Manapla of Negros Occidental:



question: why is puto and dinuguan always paired together?

Labels: Negros Occidental, Pasalubong

In addition to Bohol Kalamay, peanut kisses is one pasalubong traditionally identified with Bohol. There is, however, a "quite" new challenger in town: Peanut Kisses. How would you compare the two?

Classic Bohol Pasalubong/Specialty: Peanut Kisses

Peanut Kisses is advertised as peanut and egg white cookies

The relatively new Pasalubong/Specialty: Star Peanuts
Star Peanuts is tagged as Peanut meringue clusters

in a "nutshell," peanut kisses is shaped like Hershey's Kisses, more crunchier and sweeter than Star Peanuts. Star Peanuts are more like star-shaped meringue, and more chewable.

It really depends on the one buying for it's a really subjective topic.

Solution: Tutubi bought both of them :P


Where to buy pasalubong in Bohol:

Tagbilaran airport, at several Bohol Malls: BQ Mall, Island City Mall,

Other related Bohol posts:

Bohol Kalamay
Bohol: Ancient Cave Art

Labels: Bohol, Central Visayas, Pasalubong

Cylindrical rice cakes usually peddled to bus passengers by ambulant vendors and sold as pasalubong, espasol is a Laguna specialty made from malagkit (glutinous rice), buko (youg coconut), pinipig (rice crispies) and sugar, rolled in rice flour and wrapped in paper.



Espasol Recipe ingredients:

malagkit, buko, pinipig, sugar

Where can you buy the best espasol in town? look for it in the town of Nagcarlan, Laguna, near the Nagcarlan Underground Cemetery. You can see the espasol made in several factories.

espasol recipe, how to make espasol, ingredients, laguna pasalubong, laguna specialties, laguna delicacies

Other Laguna Specialties:

Kinulob na Itik
Buko Pie
Minani
Bibingka Galapong

Labels: Laguna, Laguna Food Trip, Pasalubong

Thinking of Bohol Pasalubong before returning home? The town of Jagna, Bohol makes sweets enclosed in coconut shells similar to binagol of Leyte (bagol means shell thus binagol).

Tutubi saw some bohol kalamay peddled near the Port of Jagna but he didn't buy there on advise of his friend and instead led him to a home/factory along the highway, also in Jagna, called Ching's Calamay, one of the more famous makers of the Bohol pasalubong in coconut shells.



The owner of the calamay factory allowed Tutubi to enter her home factory to take pictures of her sweet creations. Tutubi just missed the actual pouring of the hot syrupy calamay on the coconut shells but it's still quite warm when he got there.

Newly-poured calamay syrup on coconut shells.

How to make Bohol Kalamay? It's just cooking ingredients (rice, coconut milk, sugar) in a large wok until syrupy consistency. Pour on half coconut shells to cool down and settle before stacking another half shell on top of another and seal with paper with adhesive.

Price of bohol calamay is just PhP50.00 with or without peanuts and also in ube (purple yam) flavor.



*Ching's Calamay is open from 4am to 8pm daily

Of course, this is not a sponsored post. Tutubi paid for his sugar-fixing bohol calamay. bought a handful as pasalubong to family and officemates

Labels: Bohol, Central Visayas, Pasalubong

Locals, when asked about their own place, can only be of two types-- informative or the clueless. Tutubi asked his officemate about the famous Tanauan bibingka, some kind of cheese bibingka of Tanauan famous pasalubong sough after by tourists and visitors but was rather clueless. He asked another friend from Tanauan recently and pointed him to the place with pinpoint accuracy.

Tita's Delight Bibingka is a variant of the cheese bibingka of Tanauan, soft and fluffy, not unlike bibingka galapong. It's more of a cross between Vigan Royal Bibingka and egg pie in texture and taste.





Tita's Delight Bibingka and Pastries
Address: #19 Akle St.
Mt. View Subd., Tanauan City, Batangas
Telephone Number: +63.43.778.1735
Contact Number: +63.915.992.7025
Location details: at the back of Daniel Mercado Medical Center
(beside Aling Denang's Bibingka and Cassava. There's also famous Aling Atay's Bibingka at Tanauan public market)
Coordinates: N14 04 47.6 E121 09 04.2

Prices of Cheese Bibingka:
Extra Large: PhP570.00
Medium: PhP370.00 (about 10 inches diameter, 1.5 inches thick)
Small: PhP240.00
Oval: PhP150.00
Mini: PhP70.00 (about 4 inches diameter, 1 inch thick)

Btw, Tutubi's friend actaully lives a walking distance from Tita's Delight Bibingka and pastries shop, just at the back of Daniel Mercado Medical Center (DMMC, sarcastically called Dito Maya't-Maya Charged). It's probable that Tutubi asked the wrong question thus got the wrong answer. Asking around Tanauan City didn't do much but there's always the joy of finding something fantastic after having a hard time looking for it-- the joy of discovery!

You might also be interested in these:

Vigan Royal Bibingka
Original Buko PieBibingka Galapong
Vjandep Pastel

Labels: Batangas, Calabarzon, Pasalubong, Specialties

A visit to the local market is always recommended by Tutubi for first time visitors to a place. There you can see various delicacies and local specialties unknown to Manila denizens that locals are not aware are sought after by "intrepid" explorers like Tutubi always on the lookout for something fresh and new. In front of Bolinao town hall and Bolinao church, there are several stalls chanced upon by Tutubi selling Pangasinan's version of suman: binungey



Similar in manner of cooking to the tinubong of Ilocos, binungey recipe involves cooking sticky rice and coconut milk inside bamboo tubes roasted in fire. Prices range from PhP20.00 each to PhP33.00 (3 for PhP100.00) depending on size of the bamboo tube container.



How does binungey taste like? It's something similar to the sinaing sa gata of Paete, Laguna without the chocolate dip. Binungey though has the slight taste of bamboo, unlike sinaing sa gata cooked in metal cookware and dipped in hot chocolate, often served for breakfast at Paete Public Market.

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How to make Binungey (Source: Alaminos government website):

"1. Soak glutinous rice in coconut extract for a few hours.
2. Then, fill the bamboo tubes with glutinous rice, ¾ full.
3. Top the glutinous rice either with a banana leaf or the coconut shavings that was extracted for the coconut extract.
4. Arrange bamboo tubes in a row in an upright position. Then, lit up a fire on each side, using either wood or coal, just near enough to allow the heat to reach the tubes.
5. Let it steam for a few hours. Then, you can either top it with sugar, nuts or milk upon serving"

Related posts on Bolinao, Pangasinan:

Bolinao Catholic Church
Puerto del Sol

Labels: Ilocos Region, Pangasinan, Pasalubong

Wherever Tutubi goes, he looks for something new, something different that a place can offer to visitors, tourists and explorers. He laments though that most of the time, most locals don't know the answer but he plods on searching for new "discoveries." In Surigao, he asked around for surigao delicacies, kakanin or unique food and got one good answer: the sayongsong.

The sayongsong, as it turned out, is a kakanin wrapped in banana leaves with looks and consistency similar to puto (rice cakes), it's made in Surigao (and some parts of Caraga region) from glutinous rice, calamansi juice, brown sugar, roasted peanut, as well as coconut milk.

sayongsong: it's like puto with cononut milk wrapped in banana leaves.

Tutubi was able to sample sayongsong when his friend bought a bunch for him to sample, reportedly costing P20 (such cheap price for a filling bunch). You can't find this pasalubong in Surigao Airport, just look for it at roadside stalls and public markets.

Labels: Caraga, Pasalubong, Surigao del Norte, Surigao del Sur

Shopping for souvenirs in Palawan? Pasalubong family and friends? Authentic south sea pearls for loved ones? Kasuy (cashew nuts) and danggit at low prices?

there are two places in Puerto Princesa where shopping is fun and bargains are not hard to find:

San Jose New Public Market
San Jose, Puerto Princesa
(called New Market by the locals)

For cheap souvenir t-shirts, you can find them at PhP100.00 each at a stall near the dried fish section, unusual location but serendipity struck Tutubi when he was searching for cheap danggit and kasuy. A kilo of danggit only costs PhP400 (much, much cheaper than the touristy prices of Cebu, where it's identified)

cashew nuts (kasuy) pasalubong for Tutubi's officemates. You can also buy Cashew Wine and other kasuy products there

Tiangge Tiangge Souvenir Center
Address: Lacao near corner Rizal Avenue
GPS Coordinates: N9 44 26.7 E118 44 26.3

for other stuff like bags, key chains (key fob), handicrafts, native artworks, and authentic pearls, there's Tiangge Tiangge, sort of like "Greenhills Shopping Center" of Puerto Princesa





real south sea pearls are peddled here at about half the price from similar items found in Greenhills Shopping Center in San Juan, and slightly lower thatn those sold in front of Baker's Hill.

What makes Puerto Princesa shopping fun is that merchants don't overcharge unknowing tourists, unlike in other places. They quote you the same price whether you're a local or a foreigner, an unwritten policy probably of Mayor Hagedorn, something worthy of emulation by other tourist destinations not to pounce on tourists.

Labels: Mimaropa, Palawan, Pasalubong, Puerto Princesa, Shopping

It's part of Filipino culture when there's a trip to buy something for friends and family back home, called pasalubong. In Vigan, Ilocos Sur, there are numerous options for wanderers to buy and bring back home. Of course, you can't bring Vigan Empanada and sinanglao to Manila but there's Candon Kalamay along the way, the tinubong and there's Royal Bibingka made famous by Tongson's, the Home of Original Royal Bibingka

Tutubi saw Tongson's Royal Bibingka on Calle Crisologo but he opted to try the newer Marsha's Delicacies along the national highway in Bantay town,

the counter of marsha's delicacies

How does vigan royal bibingka taste like? it's not like your usual bibingka made from rice fluor (galapong) and it's consitency is nowhere near it. It's sticky, more like cassava pudding (budin) but no cassava.

Now, even if Tongson's Royal Bibingka is the original, some people claim Marsha's version is better, even others claim the relatively new The Sisters Royal Bibingka, located less than a kilometer from Marsha's, is the best.

Vigan Royal Bibingka, Marsha's version. a dozen of these comes in a box for PhP140.00

Be Tutubi's guest, which is the best Royal Bibingka of Vigan of them all: Tongson's Royal Bibingka, Marsha's Delicacies or The Sisters Royal Bibingka?

Tutubi's real question is why are they called royal bibingka? what's the history behind the sweet things? what's the secret ingredient of the secret royal bibingka recipe? is it because it goes well with...well...royal tru orange? :P

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Royal Bibingka Prices: PhP80.00 small box; PhP 140.00 large box

Marsha's Delicacies
Address: Nat'l Highway, Brgy. Cabalanggan Bantay, Ilocos Sur
Telephone Number: +63.77.722.8119
GPS coordinates: N17 35 17.0 E120 25 08.5

Labels: Delicacies, Ilocos Region, Ilocos Sur, Pasalubong, Vigan

An Ilocos kakanin you usually notice being peddled in the Ilocos Sur capital city of Vigan, Candon Kalamay is a kalamay variant whose recipe consists of the usual kalamay ingredients of sugar, rice flour and coconut meat, with the sticky sweet traditionally wrapped in banana leaves, but now wrapped in plastic strips or polysterene.

Tutubi chanced upon this pasalubong vendor near Baluarte in Caoayan town peddling Candon Kalamay and another Ilocos delicacy (to be posted later). Each packet of Candon Kalamay, wrapped in brown paper, costs PhP20.00 (still expensive for Tutubi)

Candon Kalamay in bite-size portions


Other well-known kalamay variants include, Bohol kalamay, baguio kalamay (popularly known as sundot kulangot), Iloilo kalamay, Nilubyan of Tarlac made from pounded green rice and Mindoro kalamay using grated coconut and flavored with peanut butter or vanilla.

Candon City celebrates Kalamay Festival in March of every year.

Labels: Delicacies, Ilocos Region, Ilocos Sur, Pasalubong

An old cake house tucked away in Quezon City's West Triangle area that's been making cakes and other delicious goodies since 1946, Estrel's cake House is an institution that's patronized by people that even taxi drivers know the place when you mention you're going to there.

Tutubi's favorite is Estrel's food for the gods, something introduced to him by a friend years ago but now he's featuring what really made the bakeshop at the corner of Scout Tobias and Scout Limbaga withstood the challenges of several popular and ubiquitous cake houses in more than 5 decades of existence: the caramel cake.



A popular twist for Estrel's caramel cakes is the heart-shaped cakes adorned with red roses, popular not only during Valentines day as an alternative gift against uber-expensive roses and flowers taken advantage by flower-traders in a commercialized Valentines day celebration.

Estrel's cakes are not too sweet, something Tutubi loves, and the chiffon cake is fluffy not stiff plus it has no preservatives making shelf-life limited to only two days (suggest you consume it immediately after buying).

To place orders, you can call Estrel's Cake contact number then schedule the pick up in the Scouts area of Quezon City, about 10 minutes from Tutubi's home. You can only buy caramel cakes in slices (price: P100.00), food for the gods (P380/box) and other goodies at the store. Other items are on per order basis.

How to get to Estrel's?
Project 2&3 jeeps that have Timog on their signboard pass by Timog Avenue then get off at the corner of Scout Tobias (landmark: McDonalds) then walk two corners.

Directions for those with cars, as most of Estrel's customers have, head to Timog Avenue from EDSA then turn when you see McDonalds. You'll see the popular cake house on your left at the corner of Scout Limbaga.

Estrel's is open from Monday to Sunday from 8am to around 7pm, call for your order then pay on pick-up, no deliveries.

As always, this is not a sponsored post. Tutubi paid P900.00, not cheap, for the rose-decorated heart-shaped cake of Estrel's. Besides, Estrel's doesn't need the advertisement :P

Labels: Pasalubong

Just a quick post on a Quezon specialty that doesn't really need an introduction: broas (lady finger) that Tutubi loves for refrigerator cake recipe than graham crackers.



broas up close and personal...

Tutubi Jr. loves broas, due to its usual sweet cookie taste toddlers love...you can buy broas almost everywhere even at malls in Manila but the pasalubong tradition is just one thing...a medium size can of broas costs around P180.00 in Quezon particularly in Lucban.

Labels: Pasalubong, Quezon

A portion of Jacinto St. between A.M. Regidor and Legaspi Streets is the so called Calle Budin of Tayabas, Quezon where you can buy budin (cassava pudding) and other Quezon specialties e.g. broas (ladyfingers), nilupak, pancit hab-hab (pancit lucban) noodles, tikoy, Lucban longganisa (pork sausage Lucban style), pinagong, sometimes pinais, lambanog (plain and flavored) as well as pasalubong products from nearby Laguna towns e.g. espasol, puto seko, shing-a-ling, uraro et al.

Photos of Tayabas' Calle Budin (Cassava Pudding Street, Olympus 1050SW):

Calle Budin sign at the corner of Legaspi and jacinto St.
you cannot park your car on Kalye Budin for it's too narrow or the house owner won't let you, park along Legazpi or Regidor
take your pick on Quezon pasalubong shopping at one store visited by Tutubi

Tutubi hurriedly bought 5 budin at a cost of P28.00/piece (good for 2-3 persons), a large can of Campville broas at P140.00, a small pack of Campita's tikoy at P40 each, plus a small bottle of lambanog (distilled coconut wine).

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Kalye Budin
Tayabas Pasalubong Shopping
Coordinates: N14°1'32" E121°35'38"

Labels: Calabarzon, Pasalubong, Quezon, Southern Tagalog

If you're coming from Quezon province or even Bicol region going to Manila, a popular pasalubong can be El Mare Special Buko Pie or the famous chicken empanada that can be bought at El Mare along Maharlika highway (left side if going to Manila).

Price of PhP135.00 each, El Mare Special Buko pie similarly costs like its counterparts in the famous Buko Pie strip in Los Banos, Laguna

El Mare Buko Pie has tender strips of buko, with thickness of about 1.5 inches, is the best buko pie in this side of Laguna rivaled only by the ubiquitous Collete's Buko Pie which also came from San Pablo City. It has better packaging than the Original Buko Pie of Los Baños, Laguna but personaly, Tutubi still prefers the latter, followed by G&B Buko Pie of Nueva Vizcaya, Letty's Buko Pie and Sheila's Buko Pie both from Los Baños.

El Mare chicken empanada though, at PhP20.00/piece is a winner and perfect pasalubong to friends and family with its slightly crunchy shell and tasty filling. (The problem here's that Tutubi and friends gobbled up the chicken empanada in the car before he can take even sloppy pictures of them like the buko pie.)

El Mare Buko Pie has thicker crust that makes it less attractive to Tutubi

Will post something about the best buko pies in the Philippines one of these days along with GPS coordinates very useful for those with GPS or if you want to know the exact store locations via Wikimapia or Google Earth.

El Mare Special Buko Pie (The People's Choice)
Address: 71 San Rafael, San Pablo City, Laguna
Telephone Number: +63.49.562.9584

Branches:
Checkpoint, Paciano, Calamba, Laguna
Barrio Halang, Calamba, Laguna
Barrio Pansol, Calamba, Laguna (Tel. No.: +63.49.545.0237)

Products: Buko Pie, Tropical Pie, Macapuno Pie, Ube Macapuno Pie, Pineapple Pie, Ube Pie, Buko Bibingka, Ube Bibingka, Macapuno Bibingka, Cassava Cake, Crema de Maiz, Mango Pie, Banana Cake, Chicken Empanada, and other special pasalubong

Opposite El Mare Special Buko Pie is Kusina El Mare Special Bulalo
Contact Number: +63.49.562.4489

Related Posts:

The Original Buko Pie
G&B Buko Pie

Labels: Calabarzon, Food Trip, Laguna, Pasalubong, Southern Tagalog

One of those souvenir items of Baguio that made it famous in the past, the "iconic" barrel man of Baguio, wood carvings of a man hiding inside a barrel, with a spring contraption that pops up a phallic symbol whenever the barrel is removed to display the naked man's "masculinity."

It has been some time since Tutubi saw these ingenious carvings made only in the Cordilleras, that even wood carvers from his hometown Paete, Laguna has yet to come out with a creation that they can symbolize their own like what the barrel man did for Baguio City (some people think of Machete but it falls short of being a symbol of Paete woodcarving)

an army of baguio barrel men statues waiting for curious tourists to snap them up

Some call it a nice souvenir, some call it art, a few tag it as disgusting, but Tutubi just say it's funny, even for first-timers clueless of what's hidden inside the barrel.

Where to buy the Baguio barrel man woodcarving? They're practically everywhere in Baguio City's souvenir shops, wood carving/handicrafts stores, and pasalubong centers. How much? Price depends on the size as usual.

In Manila, Tutubi used to find them at Balikbayan handicrafts in Quiapos Ille de Tulle (Ilalim ng tulay) near Quinta Market and some other Filipino cultural stores (probably SM Kultura but not sure).

Labels: Baguio City, Cordillera, Cordillera Administrative Region, Pasalubong

For Tutubi, the most compelling reason to choose Baguio Country Club over The Manor, Club John Hay is simply the famous Raisin Bread of the 100 year old institution in Baguio City where the rich and famous stay.

Aptly named Raisin Bread in honor of its famous product, the Raisin Bread is also known for its banana bread and other pastries, desserts and a hang-out place at Baguio Country Club.

Baguio Country Club Raisin Bread counter where you can order cakes, pastries, coffee et al besides raisin bread



Raisin Bread with full of succulent raisins for the sweet toothed people and those in need of fiber

Raisin breads are priced at P130.00 (large) and comes with the distinctive green paper bag of Baguio Country Club. Note that you can't buy raisin bread, banana bread or any other product at Raisin Bread (or avail of other Baguio Country Club services) if you're not a member or currently checked in. It was mentioned the popular Baguio pasalubong will soon be sold at SM City Baguio but not definite date has been given (nor a plan to sell it it Metro Manila, if you know of any Manila pastry shop that sells similarly good raisin breads at less price, please do hit the comment button)

Tutubi stayed at Baguio Country Club during the last long weekend of April 9-11 (Araw ng Kagitingan) but it doesn't mean he's rich nor famous, it's just another one of his company's activities that he co-organized that took him for a planning trip to the City of Pines during the recent Panagbenga Festival (when the stars of ABS-CBN were billeted).

Labels: Baguio City, Cordillera, Cordillera Administrative Region, Pasalubong

A visit or a drive-by Pangasinan won't ever be complete without noticing stalls and stalls of various Pangasinan pasalubong in bottles called bagoong and patis, but it's more enlightening if a short visit to a bagoong factory, particularly in Lingayen, would be made for a short cultural tour of bagoong making.

How to make Bagoong?

Bagoong's ingredients are just fish (usually galunggong (round scad), dilis (anchovy) and tirong (similar to dilis)), solar salt (naturally evaporated salt from seawater sourced mainly from the towns of Bolinao and Anda, Pangasinan) and water, mixed together and left to ferment for a few months in earthen pots called burnay in Ilocos. It's a process where patis is also created.

a room full of earthen pots, called burnay in the vernacular, where bagoong fermentation process takes place for a few months
burnay jar with bagoong up close
a motion-blurred picture of a bagoong maker stirring the stinking concoction of fermented fish, salt and water
patis (fish sauce) and bagoong for sale at a roadside stall selling pasalubong on the national highway in Lingayen, Pangasinan

With the mixture of fish, salt and water fermenting inside the clay pots (the burnay) for a few months resulting in the exotic aroma loved by many, hated by some, combine it with calamansi for a truly Filipino dip for almost everything or an ulam by itself to underprivileged Filipinos.

Bagoong is loved so much by Filipinos that it's not uncommon to see them at airports trying to "smuggle" bottles hand-carried only to be intercepted at destination airports abroad by customs and quarantine people (e.g. Australia and the US).

Bagoong, the stinking fish sauce of Pangasinan: Smells like hell yet tastes like heaven.


Related Post:
Rufina Patis Factory, Malabon

Labels: Filipino Food, Ilocos Region, Pangasinan, Pasalubong

Strawberries are one of the most popular Baguio pasalubong besides ube jam from Good Shepherds and peanut brittle. One of the more popular "things to do in Baguio" is picking strawberries at the Strawberry Farm in Baguio's neighboring town of La Trinidad.

Tutubi wanted to visit the farm again after so many years but due to the grueling schedule of the convention, he begged off at the last minute and decided to wake up late than join the free trip to the farm offered by a convention sponsor.

fresh strawberries at a roadside stall

Just before going back to Manila, Tutubi and his friends stopped by a stall near Kennon road selling fresh strawberries at PhP100.00. Tutubi just bought a kilo and selected not so ripe ones since it's not for immediate consumption plus the danger of "beaten black and blue" strawberries due to travel from Baguio to Manila. He also hand-carried the strawberries instead of stuffing them in his bags to avoid damage.

After just a few minutes in Manila, the strawberries were consumed in no time at all!

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Notes:

If Baguio celebrates the Panagbenga Festival in February, Benguet has the Adivay Festival scheduled in October annually.

If you still want to try the "strawberry fields forever" experience in La Trinidad, Benguet, don't be surprised that the price of strawberries there is double the price of the the prevailing market cost-- you're actually paying for the experience and not the actual strawberries. As usual for your information, here's Tutubi's guide on how to get to the Strawberry Farm in La Trinidad, Benguet:

Commute to La Trinidad from From Baguio City: board jeepneys going to La Trinidad on Gen. Luna near the University of Baguio. Request the driver to drop you off at the Strawberry Farm. You need to cross the road plus a little flexing of your leg muscles to get to the Strawberry farm for your strawberry picking "adventure."

Driving Directions to La Trinidad From Baguio: From Session Road, head towards Magsaysay Road where you'll pass by Bell Church and La Trinidad welcome arch. The strawberry farm is about six kilometers from the welcome arch and look for street signs to the farm to turn left. At the entrance of the farm are the usual stalls, souvenir shops and hawkers selling their wares and mostly "strawberry-powered" delicacies.

Notes:
The common strawberry varieties grown in Benguet are the Sweet Charlie from Argentina, the Festival and Camarosa from California in the United States, and the Toyonaka and Haronoka from Japan. Organic planting method also use predator mites to help eliminate spider mites, a major pest that destroys strawberry flowers and leaves.

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Labels: Baguio City, Benguet, Cordillera Administrative Region, Pasalubong