Alupi, Alupi, Alupi!

Alupi. This steamed cassava delicacy has a light sweet taste that is soft and chewy to the bite. Cooked in banana leaf, the wrapping adds a new dimension to its flavor. Buco strips make alupi more special.


Eating alupi is rather messy because of its sticky consistency. The best way to eat alupi is with a fork. Simply open the banana leaf wrapping to reveal a flat green-yellowish rectangular alupi delight. Slice away with your fork and enjoy with a bottle of cold Coke.

Tinolang Bangus, Ilonggo Style

Tinolang Bangus , Tinolang Manok, for the Ilonggos, they are all tinola, hot clear-broth soupy dishes. In Manila, only chicken is tinola (tinolang manok), and bangus is sinigang.

So much ado about the name, here's a great milkfish recipe for tinolang bangus, Ilonggo style:

• 1 piece large bangus, cleaned and sliced into serving pieces
• 5 cups water
• 1 small ginger, sliced
• 2 pieces tomatoes, quartered
• 1 medium onion, sliced
• 2 medium radishes, cut into serving pieces
• 5 pieces string beans, cut into serving pieces
• 2 cups kangkong leaves
• 5 pieces batuan*
  
• 1 teaspoon salt

*A joke goes, "There are many trees, batuan is the best." And indeed, of all the souring ingredients to sinigang or tinolang bangus, batuan beats tamarind (sampaloc), camias, kalamansi, or guava.

To cook:

• In a casserole, bring water to a boil together with the ginger.
• Add the bangus, tomatoes, and onion and simmer for 10 minutes.
• Add the batuan and salt to taste.
• Add the radishes and string beans and simmer for another 5 minutes.
• Remove from heat, add the kangkong leaves, and let stand covered for 5 minutes.

Note: if you're out of radishes, you may also use sliced eggplants or banana heart for your own version of tinolang bangus, Ilonggo style.

Diwal Shell: Like a Tongue Sticking Out

Diwal shell, commonly found in Negros Occidental, are so-called because of its peculiar characteristic. Diwal (dee-WAHL) is an Ilonggo term for "tongue sticking out", and this shellfish tends do stick out of its shell, looking like a tongue sticking out.

In this particular bowl, however, the diwal shells are kind of shy and did not want to be seen in their usual form.

A delicious main ingredient in soups, such is the demand for the diwal shell.

Talaba, Anyone?

Talaba, or oysters, are found everywhere in Bacolod and almost all coastal towns of Negros Occidental, the City of Hinigaran known for having the sweetest talaba of all.

When in Bacolod, you can have your plateful of Talaba at Puntataytay. Famous seafood restaurants such as 18th Pala-pala, Imay's, or Aboy's also feature the delectable talaba.

Because of its high demand and also for hygienic purposes, talaba are now mostly cultured in special talaba farms.

These oysters come in two sizes. The big ones are called talaba (tah-lah-BAH), while the small ones are called sisi (si-SI).

Talaba is easier to handle and opens up easily. When harvested in an especially hot weather, talaba is sweet and smooth. It looses its flavor during wet or cloudy weather, and people believe the rains wash away the sweet-salty taste.

Sisi on the other hand is much harder to handle and opening it is more challenging just thinking of avoiding getting cut. Just as it is small, its flavor is like the compact version of talaba.

18th Street Pala-Pala: A Must in Your Bacolod Food Trip Itinerary

Bacolod food trippers, don't forget 18th Street Pala-Pala Seafood Restaurant on your menu.

For the 30th MassKara Festival celebration, the famous Bacolod landmark in seafood culinary delight joins in the fun as 19 of its waiters and even managerial staff join in the face painting fun (by me and Bea!).

It also features the famous MassKara drum beaters with its unique Bacolod beat that will make you enjoy your dining experience all the more with its festive atmosphere. Fire dancers also entertain you as you dig into your sizzling plate of blue marlin.

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Don't forget to visit 18th Street Pala-Pala Seafood Restaurant.

Piaya: Bacolod's Edible Currency

Piaya, a round, flat, flaky, unleavened delicacy with brown sugar inside. The crispy almost flavorless outer crust is somewhat like hopia but flattened or puffed up, its inside is a sweet muscovado filling that completes the taste in every bite.

Through the years, piaya has evolved into many flavors and shapes like ube, mango, durian, mini sizes, and other surprising innovations. But I still go for the classic brown sugar recipe, regardless if its flat or puffy. However, due to travel constraints, the flat piayas are more advisable because they take up less space in the pasalubong box.

There are to famous competing piaya makers in Bacolod: Bongbong's and Merci. But there are other less famous but still respectable names in the piaya-making business as nobody makes piaya better than Negrenses themselves, using the country's Sugar Bowl's native produce -- sugar.

Because of the Filipinos' practice of bringing pasalubongs to their loved ones, piayas have become some sort of an edible currency. Round like the shape of money, what could be more pleasing to a friend or loved one than to offer him or her a bag or two of the scrumptious Negrense delicacy?

So never leave Bacolod without our edible currency, the piaya.