Tourist spots known for delicacies, too

MANILA, Philippines - Sundot kulangot. Moron. Binagol. Dodol. Kwakoy. And many others.

Strange- and foul-sounding names, but these are actually delicacies that many tourist destinations across the length and breadth of the archipelago offer.

Yes, when visitors flock to scenic places, it comes naturally for them to ask what the exotic, delicious, and mouth-watering dishes that these tourist destinations have.

This explains why tourist spots in some cities and towns are as popular as the food items they are known for.

Sundot kulangot, for instance, is a rice flour cooked with molasses well-known in Baguio City, the “air-conditioned” metropolis in the Cordillera.

Moron is a native Leyte delicacy made from ground glutinous rice flavored with high-grade chocolate. Binagol, another Leyte food item, is made of ground taro (gabi), coconut milk, egg, butter, sugar, milk, and seasoning.

Dodol is the most popular suman delicacy in Lanao, seat of the main campus of the Mindanao State University (MSU), which overlooks storied Lake Lanao. It is served in Maranao special occasions such as weddings, fiestas, and birthdays, reported MSU’s Dr. Amer Comadug.

Kwakoy is Iloilo’s now commercialized rice cookie.

Now, more on “cuisine tourism”.

It is said that if there is a thing in Bohol next in popularity to its world-famous Chocolate Hills, it is its calamay.

The town of Jagna is the leading producer of this delicacy cooked out of glutinous rice mixed with coconut milk and sugar. Bohol calamay “is ideal for sandwiches, as meal appetizer, or as a dessert,” attests the Philippine Rice Research Institute (PhilRice).

Bohol, a favorite tourist destination also because of its tarsier, said to be the world’s smallest primate, is likewise now popular for its peanut kisses. Kisses are peanut-based candy delicacies made of ground peanut and sugar now sold in specialty shops in as far as Metro Manila and with export potential.

The Ilocos Region, which forms Luzon’s northwestern flank noted for its sun-drenched and wind-caressed beaches from Pangasinan to Ilocos Norte, is also known for such culinary items as “bangus” dishes, empanada, bagnet, and Vigan and Royal bibingka.

By the way, when you are in La Union, try patupat, a delicacy made of glutinous rice cooked in sugarcane juice.

“Traditionally, sugarcane juice in the region is processed into solid form called sinakob using empty half coconut shells as molders. During this process, patupat is also prepared,” explained PhilRice.

Laguna is known for its hot springs — and “buko pie”. Through technological intervention of the Department of Science and Technology (DOST), this coconut pie can now reach the United States and Middle East countries.

Enjoy Bicolandia’s sites and sounds (when Mayon Volcano is rumbling) while nibbling pili nut-based food products, among them the rice pili bar concocted out of chopped pili, glutinous rice flour, refined coconut milk and sugar, condensed milk, butter, grated cheese, egg, and sunkist rind.

For sure, too, many are now familiar with Bicol’s laing (taro cooked with coconut milk and hot chili) and its “very hot” Bicol express.

Some of the popular places in central Philippines are noted not only for their tourist spots but also for their well-publicized food products.

Cebu, long been a favorite destinations in the country, is known for its otap, Iloilo for its pinasugbo, and Negros Occidental for its piyaya.

The popular “tourist food attraction” in Capiz (notably Roxas City, the “seafood capital of the Philippines”), Iloilo, and Negros Occidental is the juicy, tasty, and succulent angel wing, the most delicious shellfish tasted by this writer.

Scientifically named Pholas orientalis and known among Visayans as diwal, this bivalve once was headed for extinction because of overexploitation owing to its deliciousness and high price. Now, thanks to research efforts of the University of the Philippines Visayas (UPV), diwal is on its way to revival.

Mention Camiguin, the scenic island province north of Mindanao island popular for its seven live volcanoes, and what easily comes to mind is pastel.

“Pastel is a Spanish term for cake,” wrote DOST’s multi-awarded science writer Teresita Superioridad Baluyos. “It originated in Camiguin Island, the smallest and favorite tourist spot in Region 10.“

“For decades, pastel has been a traditional delicacy served during special occasions, especially during fiestas. It has been like that for many years, until one member of the (Bollozo) family cooked up a business venture,” Baluyos reported.

The pastel is also now a lucrative enterprise in Cagayan de Oro City, the jumping board to Camiguin Island.

Mention durian and what comes to mind is Davao, particularly Davao City, a popular tourist destination in Mindanao. This fruit that “smells like hell but tastes like heaven” has become a trademark of the Davao region, where the fruit is grown in abundance — and a tourism come-on, as well.

Proceed to Zamboanga and you can be served tipas, a pastry whipped out of rice flour, egg, brown and white sugar, and corn oil. Tipas is a favorite snack item in Western Mindanao (Region 9).

Indeed, across the length and breath of the archipelago’s 7,107 islands, native delicacies go hand in hand with places where tourists and visitors flock to enjoy their hard-earned leisure time.