Zee Magazine

Here is a tribute to our best loved local fare.

“Philippine food was shaped by the land in which it was born and so were its cooking processes, ingredients, meal patterns, flavor principles, ways of serving and social functions.”

- Doreen Fernandez Palayok, Bookmark, 2000

All regional cuisine is based on ingredients available, which in turn is determined by the geography, climate, history and culture. The cuisine of Cebu is no exception. The fact that it is a narrow strip of land surrounded by water, ensures abundant supply of marine life within an arm’s length from anywhere in the province. It is no wonder then that Cebuano cooking is partial to fish and simple fish preparations unencumbered by too many spices or other ingredients, think kinilaw and towa (a contraction of tinola. Cebuano’s are fond of shortening words, daga for dalaga, samin for salamin, and who else could think of sutokil from sugba, towa and kilaw). And when the stormy season sets in the Cebuanos would have the fish as guinamos and buwad.

Due to its strategic location in the center of the Visayan islands, Cebu has always been a major trading center and has been exposed to the food preparations of the traditional Asian trader, the Chinese. As a result, a strong Chinese influence is apparent in the Cebuano fare: Bam-i, ngoyong, humba, sinangag. And then of course Cebu was the first Spanish settlement in the country bringing about the Spanish culinary influences. And then came the Americans with hamburgers and other fast food. Now the whole world is in Cebu, but Cebuano food will always be comfort food to all Cebuanos - who are also all over the world.

Ubiquitous dishes in Cebu’s smorgasbord of street and restaurant foods include: ngoyong, balbacua, kinilaw, torta and fried danggit, bam-i, humba and many more, yes puso, too. Every Cebuano has a favorite place to indulge in any of these preparations. Cebuanos in other climes, despite the array of international fare now available to them, crave these dishes, the taste memory of which have been encrypted in their DNA.

In this feature, The Philippine School of Culinary Arts revisits five of these Cebuano favorites: Balbacua, Ngoyong, Kinilaw, Danggit, and Torta.

BALBACUA which is also available in all Cebuano-speaking towns throughout the Visayas and Mindanao is the brother dish of the Batangueño-original Bulalo. It can also claim to be a simpler distant cousin of the Kare-Kare without the sauce, vegetables and bagoong, and we could even say a long-lost cousin of the Spanish Callos; all of which are based on tenderized ox legs, feet and hide. A balbacua set can be bought from Carbon meat dealers, but come early as it runs out with the sunrise.

Every balbacua cook has a secret, but it all starts with the initial parboiling. The water is discarded and the parboiling repeated two more times. Then, there’s tenderizing under slow heat for four hours until the skin is fork-tender. The broth defines this dish; it has minimal added ingredients, all these in fact are added as the balbacua is tenderized. The defining characteristic of the dish is the consistency of the broth, rich with the gelatin that has come from the tenderizing process of the skin.

About PSCA The Philippine School of Culinary Arts is a professional cooking school in Cebu that offers career courses for aspiring chefs. The Diploma in Culinary Arts and Patisserie Program of the Philippine School of Culinary Arts is a two-year study program, incorporating the classical European culinary traditions and the American approach to culinary education while integrating culinary traditions that are uniquely Asian and Filipino.

PSCA is particularly proud of its large training kitchen where students work individually in their own stations under the close supervision of a qualified teaching chef, and the curriculum which is seventy percent individualized practical cooking, augmented by courses in food science and nutrition, food sanitation and safety, culinary math and, during the second year of study, entrepreneurship courses. As a requirement for the degree, students prepare a study and a fine dining presentation while participating in at least six hundred hours of industry practicum.

PUSO literally means “heart” because of its size and shape. Poetically also because it is the heart of the Cebuano meal. It is often called hanging rice because you can hang it from any pole or peg. It is the ultimate portable rice dish, the better for fishermen who go out to sea or for the farmers out in the fields to have when hunger strikes, or for the office worker or student out for a bargain meal. Unlike its Luzon counterparts, Cebuano puso is plain rice boiled in a woven coconut frond. It takes about two minutes for an expert puso-maker to weave that container, while discussing a current TV soap! Puso is popular with guinamos dip when nothing else is available.

NGOYONG is a variant of lumpia also called spring roll. All Southeast Asian countries have their own kind of spring roll. Ngoyong has a strong Chinese influence, not surprising considering that Cebu’s history has very strong Chinese roots. The term ngoyong is derived from the characterizing spice mix used in the preparation of this vegetable dish that is wrapped in lumpia wrapper - an added innovation uniquely Cebuano. A quick survey of ngoyong offerings around town indicates a wide latitude of variance for fillings used, the defining vegetable being ubod/coconut pith, though even this can be mongo sprouts or bamboo shoots. Ground meat and/or shrimps may also be added.

This PSCA version is the more common one using ubod, but with ground meat and a few strips of carrots and bell pepper added for color. This is sautéed in onion and garlic and generously spiced with ngoyong powder (Chinese 5-spice powder). This spice mixture is available in most Chinese groceries and is a mixture of cloves, fennel seeds, Schewan pepper, star anise and cinnamon.

The sautéed vegetables are carefully wrapped in lumpia wrappers, which are then dipped in a light batter made by mixing flour and water, just before deep fat frying. Frying is a critical step to achieve the desired crispness. The dipping step is responsible for the wrinkly appearance of the wrapper which also gives added bulk, the better to fill a hungry stomach.

KINILAW is the quintessential Filipino raw food. The late Doreen Fernandez and Ed Alegre in their excellent book, Kinilaw, explored all the kilaw variants across the Philippines. Ceviche of Latin America is a close cousin, with distinctive similarities. Japanese sashimi is also related. Cebuano kinilaw, like most Philippine versions, uses vinegar as the souring agent: but not just any vinegar, it must be tuba vinegar with tungog for best results.

DANGGIT is a Cebu trademark, even if much of it comes from the neighboring provinces. Who is the Cebu visitor who does not drop by Taboan to bring back tons of danggit buwad pasalubong? Why, it is even now vacuum packed to avoid the sneers of airport and hotel people (as if the delicacy is not their own favorite!).

Crisp danggit, we discovered at PSCA, can take the place of bacon crumbles or croutons in any recipe that calls for it. It goes very well with salad greens as well. Fried crisp, it is a snack item much like chicharon, although, I suppose, one can claim that danggit is a healthier choice!