MANILA, Philippines — Cradled by wealthy salt beds, the province of Pangasinan took on the identify “Panag-asinan” — later “Pangasinan” — to imply “the place the place salt is made.”
However simply as its air smells like recent bangus (milk fish), fragrant buro (fermented dish), and flavorful bagoong (salted fish sauce), Pangasinan is equally happy with the sweetness that calls out to you from the corners of the bus stops to the roadside.
From Calasiao to Bayambang, and in all places in between, come alongside for a fast meals journey past Pangasinan’s salty shorelines and into the core of its sweetest desserts!
Puto
Calasiao, the second-oldest city in Pangasinan, is greatest recognized for its reserves of “white gold” — the beloved Puto Calasiao. The identify puto traces its roots to the Malay phrase puttu, which interprets to “portioned” — a becoming identify for these bite-sized kakanins (rice muffins).
Putos are constituted of glutinous rice, sugar, and flavorings, typically filled with a small quantity of cheese and steamed into small and gentle clouds of deliciousness. Other than its pure white shade, Puto Calasiao also can burst right into a rainbow — pink (strawberry), purple (ube), yellow (mango), inexperienced (pandan), and extra.
Additionally, you will see puto with kutsinta (the brown ones); the one distinction is that kutsinta is made with a splash of lye water, which supplies it its distinctive, bouncy, and jelly-like texture.
Tupig
Who stated we solely grill ihaw-ihaw? Whenever you roll glutinous rice flour, coconut, sesame seeds, and molasses into banana leaves and prepare dinner them over reside charcoal till gentle, smoky, and candy, you get one of the iconic snacks of Pangasinan: tupig.
The phrase tupig comes from the identical root as dippig in Ilocano, which suggests “flat.” Again then, tupig was a vacation staple, however at present you’ll typically spot it scorching away as road meals.
What makes this kakanin enjoyable is that it’s by no means the identical wherever you go. Some are rougher, with chunky coconut bits, whereas others are so sticky that they cling to the leaf. Then there are those that peel off clear — gentle, chewy, and simply the correct amount of candy inside.
Latik
Within the Philippines, latik is the chameleon of kakanins (rice muffins) — each area has its personal method of creating it. In Bayambang and in different cities in Pangasinan, it takes the type of a kakanin cooked from glutinous rice and coconut milk.
The phrase itself might come from the Hiligaynon time period for “to show into syrup,” a nod to its signature crown: a shiny, golden sheet of caramelized sugar on prime.
In contrast to the sunshine, bouncy texture of leche flan (caramel custard), latik is heavier and denser — the form of snack that may fill you up simply with a number of bites. It’s greatest eaten heat, when the caramel remains to be gooey, however even after it units and curdles on the rice, this kakanin nonetheless makes for a deliciously chewy chunk.
Patupat
This is perhaps the best-dressed kakanin you’ll ever meet! Pozorrubio, a first-class municipality in Pangasinan, proudly claims the nation’s greatest patupat, even celebrating the native delicacy by way of a competition yearly. Its neat four-sided form explains its identify, from “upat,” which suggests “4.”
Patupat is made by slowly cooking glutinous rice in sugarcane juice till it takes on that deep brown shade, after which wrapped in woven banana or coconut leaves. At first look, it could appear to be simply one other form of suman (sticky rice cake), however one chunk will let you know it’s a delicacy all its personal. Whilst you’d wish to pair the standard suman with brown sugar, patupat is nice sufficient to be eaten by itself.
Inlubi
This isn’t your standard champorado (chocolate rice porridge)! Inlubi is a black rice cake constituted of coconut milk, sugar, and deremen — glutinous rice grains that flip from white to black in the course of the burning course of, giving this kakanin a definite earthy taste. And when toasted good, a sticky chunk also can flip right into a crunch.
For Pangasinenses, it’s a convention to organize inlubi throughout Undas or All Saints’ Day, the place it’s typically positioned on the family altar as a meals providing for the dearly departed; much less for its somber look and extra for its candy style.
From latik’s golden gloss to inlubi’s earthy taste, these candy delicacies discover their option to fiesta tables, solemn traditions, and even simply the straightforward pleasure of consuming merienda (snack).
The province could also be recognized for its salt, but it surely’s additionally in these kakanins that you just’ll style the candy coronary heart of residence. Every province, city, and even household has its personal recipe and pagtatantsa — its personal method of making ready, naming, and sharing these treats.
But when there’s one factor we are able to all agree on, it’s that our kakanins are greater than meals. They’re reminiscence, identification, and love — all wrapped in rice, coconut, and the folds of a banana leaf. – Jaella Magno/Rappler.com
Jaella Magno is a Rappler volunteer and third yr AB Literature main in Artistic Writing scholar from De La Salle College.
