Back to our roots

We recently went back to our culinary roots when we participated in the re-launch of the “My City, My SM, My Cuisine” cookbook in Sta. Rosa. We were privileged to have been given a slot focusing on Biñan cuisine by our friend Millie. It was an opportunity for us to renew ties with old Biñan families and to savor once more the flavors of its specialties.

A good doctor by profession and a foodie by avocation, Dr. Bimbo Sta. Maria coordinated the participation of my town’s food creators who have been in the business for years and years, some are heirs of the originals. We had tachong bangus with black beans from Dr. Sta. Maria himself. 

Teresita (Tacing) Mercado is a lady who, now semi-retired, still cooks on order. Her dinilawang kanduli (tigite) was as delicious as we remember it, cooked in heavy cream, made colorful by luyang dilaw (turmeric) and done with eggplants and dahon ng alagaw. Golgoria is something unique to the town – delicious melt-in-the mouth, thumb-sized cookie that is rarely found. She still does it, given enough time. We also had Aling Juling, the other puto maker. And of course the unequalled pospas.

Biñan and Sta. Rosa are well known for their kakanins (sweets), most of which are made of glutinous rice. Alice Gomez of Sta. Rosa did an ingenious creation. She made sinukmane (a bibingka type of cake), cut it into squares, wrapped the pieces in banana leaves and placed each in a cone made of twine, with a base of heart of bananas in cream. Needless to say kutsinta was also in focus. In spite of the heavy rain that greeted us as we hit the city of Sta. Rosa, the warm smiles of the townsfolk and participants made our afternoon very pleasant.

There is this lady physician, Samantha, who goes a step further from simply treating her patients to looking after their overall well-being. She is a nutritionist-dietitian who has partnered with coconut farmers in Mindanao to produce whole food ingredients which her company converts into a collection of what she calls “Real Food.” She particularly notes that diabetes, obesity and heart conditions can actually be suffered not only by the elderly but even by children as young as seven years old. The quality of food that they take must therefore be attended to.

Her products, under the brand name Coco Nana, are basically made of pure coconut sugar, freshly harvested from 100 percent pure coconut sap, coconut nectar syrup and raw chocolate. The collection includes crispy banana chips, P50 per 100 gms; coconut sugar, 100 gms for P110; raw cocoa nibs; coconut nectar syrup and raw chocolate in packs. Among their outlets are ISS Cafeteria in the Asian Hospital and Medical Center, Pack-away Multi Sales in BF Homes and EVOLV Fitness Studio in Bonifacio Global city. Samantha can be reached through s[email protected].

Now, aren’t store owners and staff supposed to be equally friendly to both regular customers and potential buyers? Well, they are not so at the newly opened Mall of Kitchens (MOK) on Kamagong and Lawaan streets in Makati. A visit to the establishment doused our faith in the ethics of some arrogant store owners. The staff and later a supervisor refused to entertain our queries, much less give a list of their selection and corresponding prices. They were apparently only after a sure sale as they kept asking what we intended to buy. But who can decide what to purchase when they don’t even provide the list of their wares and corresponding prices? 

Have a good Sunday with no disappointments.

E-mail me at [email protected].