Travel

Corioso In the 17th century, Catbalogan was the center of power during the Spanish colonial era. What could they have been eating back then? Vignettes of the past unfurl a diversity of artisanal cookies such as corioso—pure art at first sight with swirling patterns made out of the sculpted wooden mold. They are handcrafted individually … Read more

Salukara Did you know that Samar had its pancake since the 17th century? This was documented in 1668 by Fr. Francisco Alcina, S.J. as small cakes kneaded in a frying pan called “karaha.” Over the fire, tuba is poured in place of water, and coconut cream is added. As described, “Without any sugar and honey … Read more

What is the Samarnon humba? There is a theory that the etymology of humba may have been derived from Hokkien term where “Hong” refers to the red-braising technique that yields a reddish-brown hue while “Ba,” means meat. In the absence of refrigeration back then, pork belly has been the choice cut to render more fat … Read more

Hopia de Pili Can you imagine pili as a filling for hopia?! Unknown to many, Samar has hectares of pili plantation. Take a luxurious journey of relishing mazapan de pili as filling for a crunchy, dome-shaped cookie. The dough is placed in a “hurmahan,” a wooden mold chiseled with filigree fitted for royals. Embark on … Read more

Bola Catalana Meet the Catbalogan version of embotido. The ground pork mingles with sausage and cheese, flour, salt, and pepper. What makes it unique? Milk is added while the mixture is enfolded in “sensal,” or leaf lard, which goes through the steaming process followed by baking. Some families go straight to baking. A heritage dish … Read more