Coca-Cola and Deep Frying

By Jermaine Beltran

I had my cousins as visitors last week from the United States of America. They are the so called "balikbayans". During lunch, I took the opportunity to ask what were their oddest foods in America? Some of them said a bunch of weird foods that they encountered in Texas and New York.

However, I got interested with Kuya Philip's food trip in Dallas, Texas - Fried Coca-Cola?

What? Now, that is odd enough that I had the urge to do research about Filipino's favorite beverage.

I searched through the Internet and came across the website, WFTV.com, where the website featured the unusual way to drink or eat Coca-Cola, even I got confused.

According to the WFTV.com Food News Story, a certain Abel Gonzalez created the Fried Coke for the State Fair of Texas. The gelatinous cola-infused snack won the "most creative" title at the Texas State Fair in Dallas last month. Since then, the deep-fried phenomenon has spread to North Carolina and Arizona.

The Fried Coke's inventor, concessionaire Abel Gonzales Jr., is a fanatical fryer — last year he sold 20,000 fried peanut butter, jelly and banana sandwiches. Fried Coke appears to be an even bigger hit: He sold 16,000 cups in the first two weeks of the fair, which runs through next week.

And unlike Coca-Cola, Gonzales has also had more success modifying his formula. He reworked the recipe to make the dough more absorbent so it would soak up more of the cola syrup.

For the rest of the story, visit WFTV.com.

If you are interested, try this simple recipe.

Ingredients:
2 cups flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
2 eggs, lightly beaten
1 1/2 cups Coca Cola
Oil for deep frying

Topping:
1 cup of any favorite syrup
whipped cream
cherries for décor

Instructions:
1. In a medium bowl, mix together the flour and baking powder.
2. Mix in eggs and Coca Cola and stir until a smooth batter forms.
3. Preheat oil in a skillet or deep fryer.
4. Pour 1/3 cup of batter into a funnel and in a circular motion pour batter into the hot oil.
5. Fry up for about a minute on each side and drain on paper towels.
6. Serve while still warm and top with syrup, whipped cream and a cherry.

I tried this recipe myself and it is quite awkward for me to eat something that traditionally, should be sipped out of a straw. It is gooey and sweet, of course. Just think of it as Coke left on the desert for almost a day. It is just like Coke that have been made into a very soft Tootsiroll.

What would be next? Pepsi cakes and San Miguel omelet? I will leave it to your imagination.

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The Invented Food Series: Tuna Shake Anyone?

By Jermaine Beltran

Recently, I was able to have time to relax just for a few hours, thanks to food, beverage and the company of friends.

One of my favorite beverages are shakes. Any kind of fruit or vegetable shake would be right for me, so long as it is sweet.

Last Saturday, I invited some of my college friends for dinner in Ridgewood Residence. I ordered some beef and a fruit shake. As I was playing the straw in my shake, I said, “Eureka!” and my seatmates were startled. “What if I try a tuna shake?” I got my inspiration through the tuna pizza that we specially ordered at the Baguio Country Club.

So I consulted with the resident chef of Ridgewood and he gave me this simple but healthy shake.

The On-the-Go Tuna Shake

2 cans of chunk white tuna packed in oil
2 tsp of WHITE Worcestershire sauce (Black is the same just that it does not look pleasant)
1/2 clove of garlic
1/4 Sweet Onion
*Optional: White or muscovado sugar if you are not used to seafood shakes.

Place the contents in a blender and set to "puree" for 90-120 seconds.
Pour in a large bowl and allow to chill in the refrigerator for 1 hour.
Add crackers for extra yum and texture.

The Tuna shake tastes like tuna, of course. However, if you want to supplement your diet with a healthy alternative for your usual drinks, this is for you.

I personally like it because I love tuna, either cooked or raw, solid or pureed. It is suitable for those having a workout in the gym because of the fish's high protein content and Omega 3 which makes the body leaner and healthier. I recommend it to everyone who wants to change their lifestyles, from fatty to lean and healthy.

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ANT “BAGOONG”

by Wilna Memorial

I really hate ants, their bite sucks, they make my hairs go up and they go eat and rumble all over my pot of rice. But their perseverance and the way they help each other won’t be denied. Those are the qualities that everyone will admire.
So when I found out that they are collected, cooked and made into “bagoong” I didn’t know if I’ll be happy or not. I’ll be happy because cooking ants and putting them into fire serve as their punishment for biting us, and sad because the population of industrious beings in this world will decrease.

Eating “bagoong” ants is not that easy, you’ll think many times if these insects are really edible to eat or not. Well, it’s edible I’ve tasted and ate it with dried mangoes. It’ really “bagoong” but this is not made of small fishes, rather it’s made of big ants. I ate the dried mangoes with this kind of “bagoong” but only tasted few, because my mind was set in the fact that I was eating the insects that I hate. The insects that make my hairs go up, I was glad my hairs didn’t went up while I was eating the insects.

It’s good to eat odd foods, you’ll experience eating never before imagined foods and enjoy the idea that you are lucky among all other people because you have tasted foods that only few or no one has ever tasted, just like ant “bagoong”. I believe that only few know that ants can be made into “bagoong”. Experience what you haven’t eat and enjoy each moment they’re in your mouth because you may not see or taste it the next time around

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The Invented Food Series: Kapampangan Pork Sisig

By Tiffany Margaux Teofilo





So being a kapampangan, I am expected to make a hell of a sisig. The funny thing is- I think I do. ha! But the thing is it is not what you see being served on fancy restaurants, because this is how I cook when I just feel the craving for sisig. This is kapampangan sisig- tiffany style! The standard way to cook kapampangan sisig is have the pork grilled. But since I'm just a simple student, well, this is how I do it.

ingredients:
1/2 kilo pork
20 pcs. calamansi, squeezed
2 pieces white onion, diced
red chili to taste
fish sauce, to taste
water
cooking oil

Procedure
1. boil the pork in water, put in some fish sauce in the water, and leave until water evaporates.
2. when all water evaporates, pour in cooking oil to fry the pork until cook
3. chop the pork in very small pieces until smaller than bite size
4. mix in the calamansi, add the onions and add more salt if you want to.
5. put in the chili

Voila, it's my very own easy to do grill free sisig!

Note: Photo from Noriesta.com

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Eggplant Pizza

By: Charmaine Dizon and Tiffany Teofilo


Talong (Eggplant) Pizza

There is a restaurant located at the Upper Session Road of Baguio City which offers vegetables with really different presentation which encourage people, even those who do not love vegetables, to have a try of these foods- the O My Gulay.

We, ourselves, went to the place to experience the “magic” their foods have to offer. We decided to try their talong (eggplant) pizza, which seemed to be peculiar to us. The said pizza is made up of eggplant of course, bread, tomatoes, cheese, and pesto. As we were waiting for our order, we were exchanging jokes if we are going to like it. Just imagine eggplants tuned into pizza! What could be the possible outcome?

We have to give an additional point for the O My Gulay for their fast service. We only waited for 5-8 minutes and our order was in front of us. The presentation of the food was really wonderful. It seemed to tell us that we should have a bite of it already because the talong pizza tastes delicious. And we did! The taste was really good that even though we are not much into vegetables particularly in eggplants, we had a good time eating it.

We are surprised that eggplants and cheeze and the other ingredients involved can make up a good combination that leads to a terrific food=)

We believe that you guys should taste this one. You will surely love it!

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Cooking Leddeg (Snails) in an Ilocano Style

By Charmaine Dizon

Ilocanos have this recipe which they call leddeg, an ilocano term for snails. It is called that way basically because the main ingredient for this recipe is the leddegs which can be commonly found in farms or in places with tubig tabang.

This recipe is really affordable because it only needs simple ingredients with cheap price; the leddegs which only amounts P10.00 per sukat (size of a small can of a condensed milk), bagoong, and ginger.

Aside from being affordable, it is also easy to cook; requiring simple steps to follow. First, you only have to boil water with the ginger. Then after that, put the bagoong and let it boil again. The final step is putting the leddegs and cooking it for about three minutes or until it boils. And presto, this Ilocano dish is ready to eat!

I have tried eating these leddegs for many times and I can attest that it really tastes good. And aside from the taste, you will also enjoy sipping it in order for the meat of these leddegs to come out from their shells. But if you are in a hurry, you can use a toothpick to make the task easier for you =). So why don’t you try it? Nagimas as the Ilocanos say! =)

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Kalabasa Chips

by : Tiffany Margaux Teofilo


I've first tasted this kalabasa chips when i was in first year high school, when we were required to do it. At first we were hesitant to make them and eat them but then hey, what the heck, we decided to just get it over with.

We've heard of banana chips, camote chips and corn chips, but not much of kalabasa chips. maybe because 1)pumpkins are really hard which makes it really hard to cut them and 2) nobody really likes pumpkins that much except of course during Halloween- but then again there are plastic pumpkins sold at department stores already so why bother. At this point I'm calling my mom to ask her if pumpkin and squash are the same. she says it's sorta the same lang so let's use the term pumpkin.

So there we were, a group of not-so-much pumpkin lovers, making pumpkin chips.

The steps in making pumpkin chips:
1. peel the skin of the pumpkin (the hardest part- pumpkins have really stubborn skin)
2. slice the pumpkin into pieces and ground them (like crazy)
3. add in some sugar and mix them together (ok, so this part got a little confusing so we put in lots of sugar. big mistake
4. place the ground pumpkin and sugar in a flat surface then flatten (the most enjoyable part if you ask me)
5. deep fry until crispy
6. make sure it's cool.
7. voila! our very own kalabasa chips!

After all the cooking and waiting was finished, we had to taste our final product. and it was... and it was..... well, not that bad i suppose, the hardest thing was imagining it tasting so bad. it sort of tasted like banana chips actually, because of all the sugar. We added more pumpkin to our remaining uncooked chips an "fixed" the recipe. It was actually good. and healthy.


Note: Photo from Flickr

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The Rules of Chocolate: Humor

This humorous article came from a website that caught our eye. We though to post this just to break the ice. It is about chocolate and how to eat it. If you wanna see more, More Food Humor

* If you've got melted chocolate all over your hands, you're eating it too slowly.

* Chocolate covered raisins, cherries, orange slices and strawberries all count as fruit, so eat as many as you want.

* The problem: How to get two pounds of chocolate home from the store in a hot car.
The solution: Eat it in the parking lot.

* Diet tip: Eat a chocolate bar before each meal. It'll take the edge off your appetite, and you'll eat less.

* If calories are an issue, store your chocolate on top of the fridge. Calories are afraid of heights, and they will jump out of the chocolate to protect themselves.

* If I eat equal amounts of dark chocolate and white chocolate, is that a balanced diet? Don't they actually counteract each other?

* Money talks. Chocolate sings. Beautifully.

* Chocolate has many preservatives. Preservatives make you look younger. Therefore, you need to eat more chocolate.

* Put "eat chocolate" at the top of your list of things to do today.
That way, at least you'll get one thing done.

* A nice box of chocolates can provide your total daily intake of calories in one place. Now, isn't that handy?

* If you can't eat all your chocolate, it will keep in the freezer.
But if you can't eat all your chocolate, what's wrong with you?

* If not for chocolate, there would be no need for control top pantyhose. An entire garment industry would be devastated. You can't let that happen, can you?

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The (to be) Invented Food Series: Pancit Sinigang

By Charise C. Bautista

If I were to invent a food it would be Pancit Sinigang. I'm not sure if it's a brand new recipe but I sure haven't tried it. I guess I just like the idea of merging two of my favorites into one dish. It will be like the original pork sinigang but with pancit noodles in it. It's not that weird, I think. Sotanghon is like pancit noodles in a soup. It's the same principle but with the delicious sour flavor of sinigang.

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SANTOL SISIG

By Paola Zinnia T. Sager

Sisig is a Philippine dish made from parts of pig’s head and intestines and usually seasoned with kalamansi or chili peppers. But have you actually heard of sisig which is made from santol?

I first tasted santol sisig when my friend cooked one for our lunch. That was after our church service last month. At a first glance, it looks like just an ordinary sisig with chili peppers and onions. But when I tasted it, the sour and spicy taste left my mouth asking for more!

I was amazed when she revealed that the sisig was made from santol. It is out of the ordinary cooking, but it tastes really great! The sour taste of the santol together with the spice of chili peppers made me drool! I even ate it without rice.

I asked her how she made it. She said it was just the ordinary cooking of sisig, only that you will replace the meat with santol. You better try it!
Paola Zinnia T. Sager

CRAB POLVORON!

By Charise C. Bautista

Have you tried the different flavors of polvoron like cashew, cookies 'n cream, or pinipig? How about crab polvoron? Actually, there's not much difference in taste between a regular, original flavored polvoron and the crab version. But, what makes it different is the aroma of crab in it.
I saw this innovation in polvoron in Rated K, a TV magazine show. They featured this unique addition to the traditional ingredients, of all-purpose flour, powdered milk, sugar and margarine.
Admittedly, my groupmates and I were only able to put a small amount of powdered crab shell in to the mixture because it was so difficult to pulverize. But we tasted it before mixing with the other ingredients, and, that's how we know that it's tasteless.

However, right after cooking it, the polvoron smelled like crab. And, although it tasted like a regular polvoron, which is sweet, it was as if we were eating crab because of the aroma. It was like fooling the senses. If we had pound more crab shells the aroma would have lasted longer. Anyway, it was fun experimenting on food even if we only saw the recipe on TV.

Here is how the polvoron is made:

1. Sun dry cooked crab shell for one day
2. Pulverize crab shell (make sure that it is very refined).
3. Cook all-purpose flour in a frying pan (without oil)until it turns brown.
4. Add powdered milk, sugar and margarine.
5. Mix the ingredients thoroughly then add pulverized crab shell.

Have a great snack!

Tammy... Look!!! Part 2: This is it!

By Jermaine Beltran

"Flowing like a gummy gello through my throat..." That was my first feeling on eating the poor thing, the Tamilok.

The Tamilok is a popular dish in Palawan. The worm could be bought for only 20 pesos up until 40 pesos, depending on the location and the harvester.
The grossly unusual delicacy has been featured recently in ABS-CBN's The Correspondents with Karen Davila having to feature the worm. However, she did not try because she is pregnant.

Tamilok is a mangrove worm that is not exactly a worm. Although it looks like one, it is actually a mangrove-boring mollusk. Palawan’s natural resources boosts of large mangrove areas, especially on the northern part covering municipalities of Taytay, El Nido, Busuanga, Culion, Coron and Linapacan. These are the towns that are also frequently visited by tourists of different nationalities, according to statistics. (Pinoy Food Featured, F &B World.)


The locals who live nearby these mangrove areas have found a livelihood in collecting tamilok and selling them in wet markets and even in the streets to tourist passersby. Even in Sitio Sabang where the Underground River is located, carrying a pale of live tamilok is a common sight.

Anyway, so my father brought home some tamilok from his Palawan business trip.
From the outside, the container seemed teeming with snakes. I opened the container and there I saw which looked like Medusa's wig, just that they are not snakes.

When I saw the creature at first hand, it looked like a squid just that it had a long body and a weird head. It is slender, as if mucus is all over the Tamilok. It has a grayish with some black spot that show what they have eaten from the "bakawan" (mangroves).



To eat it, I had to "drain" out that black substance which I really am not sure if it is waste or tree remains. But my father assured that according to the gatherer of the Tamilok that it is safe to it, "just wash and drain the black icky stuff." Now, how about talking "icky"?


To newbies like me, a bowl full of tamilok is not a, uhmm, comfortable sight. To describe it aptly tamilok is fat, slimy and grayish white but please, don’t judge it by its appearance. It makes for great “pulutan” dish especially with the local drink “tuba”.

So once the black substance have been drained, I sliced off the eye-like head. "That's more like it...", I said referring to the more pleasantly-edible Tamilok.

Here comes the fun part, the actual eating.

My father advised me to cut it into pieces. However, I did not cut the Tamilok into pieces because I want to feel how it feels to eat something that long and insane delicacy. I ate it as if it was a strand of spaghetti noodles. It felt weird at first as it passed down my throat, I almost gagged but I was able to handle it.
I would confirm testimonies by people who have eaten Tamilok that it tastes better than oyster (talaba).

I concur with Davila's subjects that it really tasted like seafood. For me, it felt as if it were really squid but tasted like oyster. Ironically, "yummy" was the right word to say at that time because, not only have I conquered the disgusting feeling, but also the story that I have eaten an odd delicacy.

For the adventurous, this food could probably be considered an excellent if not ultimate test of trying out new stuff. If you have a “problematic” stomach, never mind. Just enjoy the amusing and amazing stories of people who have tasted the tamilok.

Note: Lower Photo from The Correspondents

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Videos and your comments

New features have been added to the blog:
A Poll on what tickled your curiosity?
A Chat box Widget at the end of the right side bar.

We encourage our readers to submit their recipes of odd or newly invented dishes through our email or through the comment pages.

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Blog Side Dish....

Incovenience 101 - Foodster
We had some problems regarding the videos of the food featured in this blog.
Sorry for the inconvenience.

If you have any peculiar, strange or new recipes of "traditionally cooked" dishes, you are invited to submit them through the comment pages or through our email 5wsand1h@gmail.com .

In J113's Foodster, what ever your taste be, we will certainly make you say "hwat?"

Thank you and happy reading!

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LUMPIANG TAHONG

Among the millions of Filipino dishes that I have eaten, mussel is one of my favorite. It is a seashell that can be found piling itself to a bamboo planted under the sea. One must dive in order to get some.

Mussels can be smoked, boiled or steamed. It should be alive just before they are cooked because they quickly become toxic after they die. A simple criterion is that live mussels, when in the air, are tightly shut; open mussels are dead and should be discarded. The mussel shells open by themselves when cooked.

One dish that I know is the "Ginisang Tahong" which I had first eaten when I was in grade school. It became my favorite and I usually eat until my stomach bursts. Another is "Inihaw na Tahong". My brother says it stinks, but when I tasted it, it is extremely delicious! It is a perfect dish for a seafood addict. But this is not until I tasted "Lumpiang Tahong".

Originally, “lumpia” is made of cooked vegetables enfolded over a wrapper. Meat could also be a possible filling, but hearing "lumpiang tahong"? That is something new.

"Lumpiang Tahong" is invented by a friend. She handed me a pack of “lumpia” as a gift for my birthday. I fried it at home and ate it. It tasted so good that I almost ignored the spaghetti that my sister cooked for me. I insisted for the recipe and here it is. You might want to try it. It is delicious!

Ingredients: mussels, carrots
Onion, garlic
Wrapper, cooking oil
Salt, vetsin

Procedures:
1. Remove the mussel shells then slice the mussels into small pieces. Make sure you remove the black part of the mussels.
2. Sauté the mussels in cooking oil then mix the garlic, onion and carrots (sliced into small cubes).
3. Enfold the sautéed mussels into a wrapper.
4. Fry the wrapped sautéed mussels and you will have “lumpiang tahong”.
You can serve it with any sauce you want. Try it!

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Tammy... Look!!!!

The Tamilok (Teredo Navalis)

An interesting delicacy has stumbled upon by the FOODSTER bloggers. It has been featured in the ABS-CBN News' The Correspondents and has sparked some more reports to sprout out to search for unusual "eats".

The TAMILOK, the shipworm, is a mussel of the genus shipworms (Teredinidae), which include about 80 species living in wooden material of logs, pilings and ships at all temperate and warm coast around the world. It could be found in swampy areas especially in mangroves.

The edible worm is a popular delicacy in Palawan. It is either eaten on site where it is found, specifically in the mangroves (bakawan), or at nearby restaurants that offer the worm at its raw form.

The shipworm body is elongate and wormlike; the shell no longer protects the body, but covers helmet like the anterior parts and acts as a boring instrument. The tunnel connects to the surface with a tiny hole with two siphons for inhaling and exhaling of water. Therefore, from the outside the shipworm is very hard to detect, often the damage appears only when the piling breaks. The locals, with their trained eyes, would break open a piece of rotten wood and extract these creatures like taking noodles out of the bowl.

According to Karen Davila, ABS-CBN’s Correspondent for the Tamilok Episode, “…it is somewhat reminiscent of an umbilical cord, and some people feel uneasy upon seeing it. However, for the Palaweños, it's a tasty dish, and a way to earn a living.” It sold from 20 to 40 pesos a glassful of grey stuff. It is believed that the worm got its local name from a foreigner who saw the worm for the first time and scream to his companion, "Tammy... Look!"

In the interest to really know what it feels to eat the delicacy, I have requested my father (in a business trip) to buy just a glassful of worms but unfortunately, he has not yet arrived as of post time.

For a glimpse of the worm’s adventure through the eyes of grossed out and strong-stomached people, you could go to the ABS-CBN Now! Website , and look for The Correspondents video feed.

Sources: The Great Shipworm
The Correspondents

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NOT JUST PIZZA, NOT JUST PINAKBET, IT'S PINAKBET PIZZA!

PINAKBET PIZZA
Ilocos Norte is known for its magnificent and charming architectural landmarks such as the world famous Paoay Church - declared as a UNESCO World Heritage Site and Burgos Lighthouse. These treasures from the past have also become icons of their towns.

The province’s culinary traditions have also attracted and gained the interest of both visiting foodies and the consumer public. Ilocos Norte has become synonymous to the scrumptious biscocho (next to salt!) of Pasuquin, and the savoury empanadas of Batac – arguably the best in the entire Ilocos region. In my two recent trips to Ilocos Norte, I was once again reunited with my Ilocano roots and learn to fully appreciate its culture and culinary delights.

A wonderful new discovery here is Herencia Café. Herencia, which literally means “heritage”, is a restaurant that aims to remain as faithful to the traditional Ilocano cuisine by offering and serving authentic Ilocano dishes like pinakbet, igado, and bagnet among others. Herencia Café, situated right across the plaza of the historic Church of San Agustin (more popularly known as Paoay Church) in picturesque Paoay town, is Ilocos Norte’s new center for culinary tradition. Aside from popular Ilocano and other Pinoy dishes, Herencia’s menu features various entrees of Italian, Indian, and Spanish influences, as well as “fusion” concoctions.

In its effort to be on the forefront of the latest advancement in culinary development, Herencia whips up its own “fusion” delicacy by taking the classic Ilocano dish pinakbet, elevating it to a different level of culinary experience and concocting the country’s first ever gourmet pinakbet pizza. This unique treat combines the traditional pizza crust and mozzarella cheese with local ingredients used for pinakbet.

pinakbetpizza-01.jpg

Herencia’s pinakbet pizza is a real discovery and delight to Ilocanos like me as well as adventurous foodies. Here, anchovies, which, for ages have been used as a popular pizza topping, are replaced by a similar yet our very own native ingredient, the bagoong. A pinakbet pizza won’t be without the usual eggplant, ampalaya, okra, sitaw, and some kind of meat like bagnet or longganisa. Toss them all on a mozzarella cheese-covered, hand tossed thin pizza crust and you have one of the most unique gastronomic creations ever in the country!

For taste, texture, and consistency, I give it two thumbs up! Its crust is unusually thin and stays crispy even when left on the table for some time. The crust, says Sammy Blas, is a secret mixture of local rice and commercially-available all-purpose flour and shortening, its name (I cannot divulge), yet brings back more childhood food memories and a smile as I devour this newly discovered treat!

Herencia Café, with the elegance its old world ambience is the perfect setting to savour the mouthwatering pinakbet pizza. The café’s decor is a mix of antique wood, glass and wrought iron furnishings. The most notable feature is the dining table bases of old sewing machine stands complete with foot pedals, and a wall mural depicting Sitio Remedios, a “heritage village” resort in Currimao. The café’s wide, arched French windows offer a superb view of the majestic Paoay Church right across.

Mangan tayon!

Source: Lafang: Pinakbet Pizza

This is an introduction of PINAKBET PIZZA, one that the group will be eating. It sounds scrumptious enough but hey- looks can be deceiving.

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EATING SALAGUBANG

Photo from Yahoo! Images

Next to sleeping, eating is one of my major indulgences. If I may say so, I totally agree with a TV ad's statement that the Filipinos' favorite expression is 'Kainan na!' And so when our group had to decide what topic to pursue for our blog and we finished deliberating other suggestions, we still went back to basics -- food. Obviously, it's our mutual interest.

We decided to dwell on foods that are not commonly known or in some ways odd. Whether it's a traditional dish with a new twist or a totally new recipe, we hope that it will tickle our reader's curiosity as much as it did ours.

First on our menu is the Ginisang Salagubang (sauted beetle). I would have to admit that, although I was excited when we were just talking about it, I hesitated when eating time came. It's not easy for me to see a beetle as a food, when I grew up tying its leg with thread and whirling it into the air to coerce it to fly. I guess 'don't eat your toy' would have been a more appropriate reminder than 'don't play with your food'.

My first encounter with these beetles was during the cooking segment. When we opened the container I thought it smells like an old cabinet. But I guess it was just me and my delusions of its plausible taste. It started to smell like food to me when they started to sauté it with garlic.

Anyway, we still pushed through with our salagubang eating activity. All of us were clueless about how to eat it and how it would taste except for Pan, who had experienced this prior to our group picnic.

The inevitable moment came and we had to face our fears. One of our group mates suggested we eat it at Sunshine Park so we could scream louder, in case we want to. But there was no need for that. We ate it at school and were triumphant.

Pan taught us how to eat. We removed the wings and head. We took the belly and sipped it like a shrimp's head.

Initially, it tastes weird. But it wasn't so bad after all. I'm not sure if I've tasted anything like it before but it's basically salty. One of our classmates said it's even better if its adobo but ginisa is still good. Maybe we'll try it some other time and you should too.

Forgive my extensive story on how we dealt with the beetle. Earlier I used the word 'experience'. For me, it's the apt word. It's the time and what we did with it that's more remarkable, well, for me at least. I think that's the joy in trying odd foods with friends. You get to feel weird, together. If you think otherwise, then you might as well try odd foods by yourself and then you can share with us how it went. Nevertheless, try the Ginisang Salagubang and we're hoping to hear from you soon. Thanks!Ravmo blogger, Charise C. Bautista

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S-A-L-A-G-U-B-A-N-G

Brown beetle or bug
Pangasinan-Sibaweng
Tagalog-Salagubang


S-sibaweng in Pangasinan, when
A-added with flavorings it makes a
L-lovable taste. It's an
A-appetite satisfier that is
G-good for the health. An
U-unusual menu. It's
B-brittle when fried, but still will have
A-an appreciating taste. It's a
N-native delicacy in Ilocos Sur. Salagubang is a
G-gift from nature

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Toying SALAGUBANG

"Sitsiritsit alibangbang, salaginto’t salagubang…salagubang?"
A beetle, an insect. An insect that can be a… food. Believe it or not yes it is. Salagubang is usually sauté and fried by people in most provinces especially in Ilocos. I really can’t believe that an insect is made into a delicacy, a special delicacy until I tasted it.

When I first saw the “salagubang “ on the plate, I can’t afford to pick one and eat. I said to myself, those are the insects that we used to play in the province before when we were still young. Those are the “salagubang” that fell from our guava trees every time my cousins shook those trees during rainy season. We played with those insects, we tied thread on their neck and let them fly while we were holding the other end of the thread. So when I saw those insects on the plate I was surprised that it’s ok to eat it. I couldn’t believe it, I’m still not convinced that our stomach can digest it and that it’s safe to eat it.

Until finally, after seeing my friends eating, I said to myself “why don’t I give it a try, they didn’t die when they ate it, why should I not taste it”, then I’m ok. I calmed myself down, meditate a minute, got my softdrink to help me push the insect in my stomach, and prepared myself to eat the unbelievable food.

Then when finally the insect arrived in my mouth I was surprised by its taste, the cliché “don’t judge the book by its cover” came to my mind. It may look disgusting, but once you’ve tasted it you can forget that it is an insect.

Crunchy, alluring taste added with adequate amount of salt that perfectly blends with its innate juice. The taste sips through the mouth that you can’t talk once you’ve tasted it. It taste even better when you dip it in calamansi juice. Whew…its delicious, exquisite and gratifying I can’t help but to look for its taste. I can’t wait to eat more salagubang. Honestly I’m saliving while writing this paper the taste of salagubang is still in my mouth and I can’t forget it.

I realized that every creature that God has made is wonderful. Our nature is full of wealth that is hidden on our eyes and is just seen beyond its appearance. The salagubang is just an insect but that insect is not just a toy for little children, rather it’s a food that satisfies everyone’s hunger and helps us to live.

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ABAL -ABAL or SALAGUBANG-RECIPE

The Salagubang comes out when the rainy season starts on May or on June.

When cooking salagubang, it is best to choose those which just passed the larval stage because they are still soft. Removed their wings before cooking.

SAUTE SALAGUBANG

INGREDIENTS:
Salagubang
oil
vinegar
pepper
salt or soy sauce

Sauté salagubang into a small amount of oil then blend with salt or soy sauce and pepper. When it is already half cooked, add a small amount of vinegar. stir until it becomes dry and toast. You can also fry salagubang when you want it to be brittle.
Source: Northern Dispatch

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