Coming home to Calbayog in 2022, my cousins constantly reminded me of the delicacies our “Lola” (Lolita Gomez Isidro) would always bring with her as pasalubong whenever she goes to Manila for a visit. Aside from the typical adobo that is prepared by her cook place in what we call “garapon” or a spill-free, odor-free container; then to a tightly packed “karton” fit to be check-in as a passenger baggage on a Philippine Airlines flight. (DC-3 airplane), the Tinapa, Queseo and Turon where the exact items they ordered for me to bring back to Manila. Luckily, these favorite pasalubong can still be found in the outskirts of Calbayog.
TINAPA is the quintessential “pasalubong” besides being part of a typical breakfast meal. Made of a fish variety like “agumaa or buraw.” This is the only place where medium sized meaty smoked fish are found. These are prepared in an area called Barangay Matobato (about 2 kilometers from the city) by Tagalog speaking women presumed to have migrated from some towns in Cavite at the end or even before World War II began.
QUESEO is the round shaped white cheese made from carabao’s milk. It is usually found in the town of Gandara, Samar, about 30 kilometers from Calbayog. It is an ideal ingredient for omelets and sandwiches. In Samar, it is common filling for a kind of bread we call “pan de sal” which literally means salted bread.
TURON is a Spanish term that means a bar made of nuts and other ingredients. In Calbayog we call it “turon” or like a rectangular hard cake made of pili nuts from Aking. Our “lola” would always send her errand boy, whose name was Rudy, to this place in Barangay Hamorawon where Aking still lives. I tried telling my students to talk to the tricycle drivers along Gomez Street to bring him to the place of Aking. Lo and behold, the drivers knew who Aking was and his store is just off the bridge in hamorawon. In fact, a few meters down the road, his son also makes his own brand of turon plus another type of a round shaped semi soft cookie still made of pili and it is called “delicias.”(CJ/N&P)
TINAPA is the quintessential “pasalubong” besides being part of a typical breakfast meal. Made of a fish variety like “agumaa or buraw.” This is the only place where medium sized meaty smoked fish are found. These are prepared in an area called Barangay Matobato (about 2 kilometers from the city) by Tagalog speaking women presumed to have migrated from some towns in Cavite at the end or even before World War II began.
QUESEO is the round shaped white cheese made from carabao’s milk. It is usually found in the town of Gandara, Samar, about 30 kilometers from Calbayog. It is an ideal ingredient for omelets and sandwiches. In Samar, it is common filling for a kind of bread we call “pan de sal” which literally means salted bread.
TURON is a Spanish term that means a bar made of nuts and other ingredients. In Calbayog we call it “turon” or like a rectangular hard cake made of pili nuts from Aking. Our “lola” would always send her errand boy, whose name was Rudy, to this place in Barangay Hamorawon where Aking still lives. I tried telling my students to talk to the tricycle drivers along Gomez Street to bring him to the place of Aking. Lo and behold, the drivers knew who Aking was and his store is just off the bridge in hamorawon. In fact, a few meters down the road, his son also makes his own brand of turon plus another type of a round shaped semi soft cookie still made of pili and it is called “delicias.”(CJ/N&P)
