Ilocos Norte has always been there, a silent presence at the northwest corner of Luzon, known as the hometown of the "Da Apo," the genius behind Martial Law. Curiously, Da Apo's legacy is more and more appreciated the farther we get from '86, with the general sentiment being "mabuti pa noon," but this can be a reflection of the disappointments that followed. Or maybe Lee Kuan Yew is right, Asians need strong leaders, even dictators, and that "too much democracy"can be a problem.
But I digress.
Lately, Ilocos Norte destinations are being featured in print and TV--places like Pagudpud, the perennial favorite; the windmills at Bangui (many thanks to Regine in sinuous garment swinging by the beach); the usual churches like Sarrat and Paoay; the Luna Shrine in Badoc (happy 150th Maestro Juan!); Fort Ilocandia; and the small resort called Sitio Remedios.
Even humble Ilocano fare with a twist is catching people's attention--the perennial pinakbet has been worked into a pizza by the Herencia Cafe in Paoay, while Saramsam in Laoag has experimented with Poque-Poque pizza, empanada negra (filled with dinuguan), among other things. C&E has come up with a bagnet pizza; while La Preciosa has people raving over abrao (vegetables in fish broth), insarabsab (grilled pig ears and cheeks-the Ilocano variation of sisig), sinanglao or paksiw (cow or goat sweetmeats in broth) and other local fare. Dawang's in San Nicolas is the turo-turo of choice, closely followed by its neighbor Lidamero's, with various grilled offerings. The livestock markets in Badoc (Wednesdays) and Batac (Sundays) are occasions for sampling kilawin (raw carabao meat with grated ginger doused with papait or bile), which can be brought to a quick boil (in which case it is called imbaliktad); lengua estofada; dinardaraan; higado; and other meat specialties.
Trip na Trip began its fifth season in September with a feature on Ilocos Norte. Sports Unlimited highlighted the surfers' paradise that is Mairaira (or Blue Lagoon) in Pagudpud. Marc Logan in TV Patrol featured the newly developed pizzas mentioned above.
U.S. Ambassador Kristie Kenney visited the province in mid-September, staying at the Saud Beach Resort in Pagudpud. Coincidentally, this was right after Saud Beach was acknowledged as Asia's Top Beach by an Australian travel writer. Newly-posted PROC Ambassador Song Tao made Ilocos Norte his first out of town destination; spending four days in the province.
The ZONTA Club held a regional conference in Laoag with delegates from four countries--another first for Ilocos Norte. Medical groups--orthopedic surgeons, neurosurgeons, and other specialists--have also held regional and national conventions in the province. As did the United Architects of the Philippines.
The National Historical Institute installed a marker at the century-old Cape Bojeador Lighthouse in Burgos; and marked the 150th birthday of painter Juan Luna in fitting ceremonies at his birthplace in Badoc, an event that was also honored with a commemorative stamp. The province likewise remembered the bicentennial of the Basi Revolt that started in Piddig, and the birthday of Josefa Llanes Escoda, suffragist and founder of the Girl Scouts of the Philippines.
All these activities, and the renewed interest of media, will surely augur well for tourism in the province.
Thursday, November 8, 2007
Abel Iloko
Abel is the Ilocano term that refers to the process of weaving, while inabel is the final woven product (although the terms are now used interchangeably). Loom weaving was prevalent when people had to make their own clothing and blankets using spun cotton from the cotton plants they themselves grew. With the advent of cheap machine made cloth, this once thriving industry collapsed, and there are now fewer sources.
For Ilocanos, the banderado is the simplest design of all – consisting of two-tone stripes on the sides, or in the middle of the fabric. This is probably one of the oldest designs, one that is slowly going out of favor, most users now preferring newer and more elaborate designs. In Ilocos Sur, the design is called cantarinis, a material originally used for sailcloths. Binakol, with its op-art swirls called kosikos, is another old but sophisticated abel design.
While the patterns of Ilocano abel are similar, there are subtle differences in color combinations, and the thickness of the weave—from gossamer mosquito nets to thick brocades and embroidery. There are likewise myriad shapes—pineapples, grapes, turkeys, horses, even the two-headed eagle (which is not really as strange as it seems because the bird is also one of the symbols of the Augustinians, who were among the first missionaries in the north). In the story of Lam-ang the epic Ilocano hero, he has a two-headed chicken called Gik-gik for a pet—suggesting that the image of the two headed eagle was appropriated to illustrate the mythical bird.
The most sophisticated abels are the monotones with very fine, and subtle patterns (tiny diamonds within diamonds, circles, squares and other geometric shapes). “Insukit” refers to the patterns “inserted” during the weaving process, the most common ones being diamonds, rositas (after the elaborate flower-like design used for rings and earrings), ik-ikan (fish), among others. “Palawlaw” refers to the border design that goes “around” the blanket.
Ilocos Norte has a few remaining weaving centers, but as the weavers grow older, the prospects for sustaining loom weaving are dim. The Silangan Foundation for the Arts, Culture and Ecology, in cooperation with The Sitio Remedios Heritage Corporation, is helping sustain small weavers and cooperatives by buying their production, and selling them in a few exclusive outlets, including the Boston and Pinto Art Galleries.
For Ilocanos, the banderado is the simplest design of all – consisting of two-tone stripes on the sides, or in the middle of the fabric. This is probably one of the oldest designs, one that is slowly going out of favor, most users now preferring newer and more elaborate designs. In Ilocos Sur, the design is called cantarinis, a material originally used for sailcloths. Binakol, with its op-art swirls called kosikos, is another old but sophisticated abel design.
While the patterns of Ilocano abel are similar, there are subtle differences in color combinations, and the thickness of the weave—from gossamer mosquito nets to thick brocades and embroidery. There are likewise myriad shapes—pineapples, grapes, turkeys, horses, even the two-headed eagle (which is not really as strange as it seems because the bird is also one of the symbols of the Augustinians, who were among the first missionaries in the north). In the story of Lam-ang the epic Ilocano hero, he has a two-headed chicken called Gik-gik for a pet—suggesting that the image of the two headed eagle was appropriated to illustrate the mythical bird.
The most sophisticated abels are the monotones with very fine, and subtle patterns (tiny diamonds within diamonds, circles, squares and other geometric shapes). “Insukit” refers to the patterns “inserted” during the weaving process, the most common ones being diamonds, rositas (after the elaborate flower-like design used for rings and earrings), ik-ikan (fish), among others. “Palawlaw” refers to the border design that goes “around” the blanket.
Ilocos Norte has a few remaining weaving centers, but as the weavers grow older, the prospects for sustaining loom weaving are dim. The Silangan Foundation for the Arts, Culture and Ecology, in cooperation with The Sitio Remedios Heritage Corporation, is helping sustain small weavers and cooperatives by buying their production, and selling them in a few exclusive outlets, including the Boston and Pinto Art Galleries.
Wednesday, November 7, 2007
Ilocano Food
The Ilocos provinces [Pangasinan, La Union, Ilocos Sur, Abra (technically Cordillera Autonomous Region but Ilocos for our purpose) and Ilocos Norte] are known for the industry of its people, and the narrow strip of land between the mountains of the Cordilleras, and the South China sea from which they eke out a living. The terrain is unforgiving—rocky and unirrigated, sandy land; hot summers and severe cold seasons; limited crops. It is perhaps because of these conditions that Ilocanos became one of the early migrants—moving in as pioneers in Mindanao and practically every other province, as well as points abroad, beginning with Hawaii in 1906 as the first group of sugarcane workers.
The food is simple—honest Ilocano fare of abrao (assorted seasonal vegetables, typically malunggay, and that quintessentially Ilocano vegetable, saluyot, boiled in a bagoong and fish broth), pakbet, grilled and steamed fish and other seafood, seaweed salads garnished with sliced tomatoes, the sinful bagnet with accompanying KBL (kamatis, bagoong and lasona—sliced tomatoes and spring onions with fish sauce), dessert would consist of fresh fruits in season, and local rice cakes (tupig, patupat, linapet, dudol) and sesame seeds in molasses (linga), accompanied by coffee or native chocolate.
Occasionally, there would be more exotic fare—abuos—giant ants’ eggs gathered in the forest, gamet—the dark seaweed that the Japanese call nori, ipon—tiny fish in season during the cold months, very similar to dulong. There are also ordinary foods with unusual names—the breakfast fare called poki-poki (also poqui-poqui), an innocent omelet made of eggplant sautéed with garlic, onions, tomatoes, and eggs; and vegetables with racy names: kabatiti (Tagalog patola, the vegetable served with misua), utong (string beans) to name two.
Marunggay (malunggay to Tagalog speakers) deserves special mention for its versatility—the leaves are a staple for abrao, being available year round. The flowers are equally favored for salads, as are the tender fruit (called mara-utong as it resembles thin string beans), and the mature fruit.
The afternoon rainshowers and thunderstorms of the rainy months, bring yet another delicacy—the tasty uong, wild mushrooms that are found the day after the thunderstorms. Their delicate earthy flavor makes for a perfect abrao, or even more decadent, the adobo of pure uong flavored only with salt and garlic.
The freshwater fish called bukto, from the Bacarra river, was my grandfather’s personal favorite. He loved them cooked paksiw style, or what we call nilengta in Ilocano. Because the fish are small, and somewhat bony, it is even better to deep fry them to a crisp, and eat whole, bones and all. On rainy days, he would invariably request for balatong, mongo to you Tagalogs, usually with malunggay or ampalaya leaves, and talong strips. The Ilocano balatong is boiled, not guisado, but is less soupy than the Tagalog version. In the old days, grilled fish or boiled shrimps would be used for flavoring, but bagnet is becoming increasingly popular of late.
Bagnet is the Ilocano version of the lechon kawali—pork squares first boiled in a saline solution, air dried, then deep fried twice until they are crisp and golden. In the old days, the cooked bagnet was stored in burnay (stoneware jars) filled to the brim with the pork oil, which solidifies into lard as it cools. The lard was used to re-fry the pork when needed for flavoring vegetable dishes such as the pinakbet, or pancit. Lately, it has become a decadent dish on its own.
The Ilocano adobo and dinuguan are dry compared to the Tagalog or Pampango versions. This is probably done to make the food keep longer. Both use liberal amounts of vinegar, again to preserve the food for longer periods, the same principle used in making the Ilocos longanisa.
There is a wide range of rice and glutinous rice delicacies, from the familiar puto, kutsinta, tinupig, and the less well-known patupat, binagkat, linapet, and the totally exotic impaltao, incalti, dudol among many others. Patupat is boiled glutinous rice lightly flavored with salt (in some cases, pepper as well) and wrapped in banana leaves to a triangular shape. Binagkat is the Ilocano puto maya—boiled glutinous rice flavored with molasses and coconut oil. Linapet a sweet version of the patupat, also wrapped in banana leaves. The rare and sinful impaltao, a favorite of Ethel S. Timbol, is water soaked malagkit encased in pouches made of bamboo strips, which is later cooked in boiling sugar cane juice (bennal). It is an occasional treat, made only during the sugarcane harvest season. Incalti is the generic term used for the process of cooking and sweetening food items in sugarcane juice—balls of ground glutinous rice (larger versions of the Tagalog bilo-bilo) are the most common ingredient for incalti, but there are more unusual items used as well, such as the trunk of the male papaya. Dudol is a mixture of ground glutinous rice flour, water and sugarcane juice, that is laboriously mixed by hand as it cooks over a slow fire—reminiscent of the procedure for making haleya.
One of the Ilocano snack foods that has become popular lately is popped corn flavored with garlic—what is now known as “cornick” or “chichacorn.” It was developed many years ago in Paoay, and the Nana Rosa brand is the favorite among people in the know. The barrio that produces cornick has since branched out to other items—honey coated banana, camote and taro chips, with a variant of garlic flavored camote and taro chips.
Batac empanada and miki have become province-wide favorites, served in almost every town plaza. Empanada is garlic longanisa with grated green papaya or mashed mongo or togue (mongo sprouts), wrapped in annatto colored dough made of ground rice, and deep fried to a crisp. It is often served with a vinegar and garlic sauce. Miki is home made noodles in a thick, chicken-flavored broth, also colored with annatto, the special topped with bagnet cracklings.
Being a coastal province, Ilocos Norte is blessed with an abundance of the sea’s bounty—lapu-lapu, maya-maya, dorado, tanguigui, lobsters, curacha (or pitik, locally called kusimay), the more exotic sungayan (thick skinned black fish with a horn on its forehead, suitable for grilling) and ilek (with delicately flavored oily meat that is heavenly when grilled to perfection). Seaweeds are also abundant, from the common ar-arusip (lato to Visayans), to the indigenous pokpoklo, and gamet (what the Japanese call nori—used to wrap sushi).
The Ilocano is not a finicky eater, a fact attested to by his practice of flavoring boiled beef, carabao or goat sweetmeats with the bile and the juice of partially digested grass in the animal’s intestines—a dish variously called papaitan, sinanglao or paksiw in its many variations. He also eats the leaves and fruit of the parya (Tagalog ampalaya), favoring the small native variety that is especially bitter. Food critic and cultural researcher Doreen Fernandez noted this predilection for bitter food among the Ilocanos, saying that we understand the sweetness that follows after eating bitter food.
It is often said that we are what we eat. The foods of the northern provinces speak eloquently of the native qualities of the Ilocano—his famous thrift, the ability to make do and utilize all available resources, as well as his close affinity to the earth, and the rhythm of the changing seasons.
The food is simple—honest Ilocano fare of abrao (assorted seasonal vegetables, typically malunggay, and that quintessentially Ilocano vegetable, saluyot, boiled in a bagoong and fish broth), pakbet, grilled and steamed fish and other seafood, seaweed salads garnished with sliced tomatoes, the sinful bagnet with accompanying KBL (kamatis, bagoong and lasona—sliced tomatoes and spring onions with fish sauce), dessert would consist of fresh fruits in season, and local rice cakes (tupig, patupat, linapet, dudol) and sesame seeds in molasses (linga), accompanied by coffee or native chocolate.
Occasionally, there would be more exotic fare—abuos—giant ants’ eggs gathered in the forest, gamet—the dark seaweed that the Japanese call nori, ipon—tiny fish in season during the cold months, very similar to dulong. There are also ordinary foods with unusual names—the breakfast fare called poki-poki (also poqui-poqui), an innocent omelet made of eggplant sautéed with garlic, onions, tomatoes, and eggs; and vegetables with racy names: kabatiti (Tagalog patola, the vegetable served with misua), utong (string beans) to name two.
Marunggay (malunggay to Tagalog speakers) deserves special mention for its versatility—the leaves are a staple for abrao, being available year round. The flowers are equally favored for salads, as are the tender fruit (called mara-utong as it resembles thin string beans), and the mature fruit.
The afternoon rainshowers and thunderstorms of the rainy months, bring yet another delicacy—the tasty uong, wild mushrooms that are found the day after the thunderstorms. Their delicate earthy flavor makes for a perfect abrao, or even more decadent, the adobo of pure uong flavored only with salt and garlic.
The freshwater fish called bukto, from the Bacarra river, was my grandfather’s personal favorite. He loved them cooked paksiw style, or what we call nilengta in Ilocano. Because the fish are small, and somewhat bony, it is even better to deep fry them to a crisp, and eat whole, bones and all. On rainy days, he would invariably request for balatong, mongo to you Tagalogs, usually with malunggay or ampalaya leaves, and talong strips. The Ilocano balatong is boiled, not guisado, but is less soupy than the Tagalog version. In the old days, grilled fish or boiled shrimps would be used for flavoring, but bagnet is becoming increasingly popular of late.
Bagnet is the Ilocano version of the lechon kawali—pork squares first boiled in a saline solution, air dried, then deep fried twice until they are crisp and golden. In the old days, the cooked bagnet was stored in burnay (stoneware jars) filled to the brim with the pork oil, which solidifies into lard as it cools. The lard was used to re-fry the pork when needed for flavoring vegetable dishes such as the pinakbet, or pancit. Lately, it has become a decadent dish on its own.
The Ilocano adobo and dinuguan are dry compared to the Tagalog or Pampango versions. This is probably done to make the food keep longer. Both use liberal amounts of vinegar, again to preserve the food for longer periods, the same principle used in making the Ilocos longanisa.
There is a wide range of rice and glutinous rice delicacies, from the familiar puto, kutsinta, tinupig, and the less well-known patupat, binagkat, linapet, and the totally exotic impaltao, incalti, dudol among many others. Patupat is boiled glutinous rice lightly flavored with salt (in some cases, pepper as well) and wrapped in banana leaves to a triangular shape. Binagkat is the Ilocano puto maya—boiled glutinous rice flavored with molasses and coconut oil. Linapet a sweet version of the patupat, also wrapped in banana leaves. The rare and sinful impaltao, a favorite of Ethel S. Timbol, is water soaked malagkit encased in pouches made of bamboo strips, which is later cooked in boiling sugar cane juice (bennal). It is an occasional treat, made only during the sugarcane harvest season. Incalti is the generic term used for the process of cooking and sweetening food items in sugarcane juice—balls of ground glutinous rice (larger versions of the Tagalog bilo-bilo) are the most common ingredient for incalti, but there are more unusual items used as well, such as the trunk of the male papaya. Dudol is a mixture of ground glutinous rice flour, water and sugarcane juice, that is laboriously mixed by hand as it cooks over a slow fire—reminiscent of the procedure for making haleya.
One of the Ilocano snack foods that has become popular lately is popped corn flavored with garlic—what is now known as “cornick” or “chichacorn.” It was developed many years ago in Paoay, and the Nana Rosa brand is the favorite among people in the know. The barrio that produces cornick has since branched out to other items—honey coated banana, camote and taro chips, with a variant of garlic flavored camote and taro chips.
Batac empanada and miki have become province-wide favorites, served in almost every town plaza. Empanada is garlic longanisa with grated green papaya or mashed mongo or togue (mongo sprouts), wrapped in annatto colored dough made of ground rice, and deep fried to a crisp. It is often served with a vinegar and garlic sauce. Miki is home made noodles in a thick, chicken-flavored broth, also colored with annatto, the special topped with bagnet cracklings.
Being a coastal province, Ilocos Norte is blessed with an abundance of the sea’s bounty—lapu-lapu, maya-maya, dorado, tanguigui, lobsters, curacha (or pitik, locally called kusimay), the more exotic sungayan (thick skinned black fish with a horn on its forehead, suitable for grilling) and ilek (with delicately flavored oily meat that is heavenly when grilled to perfection). Seaweeds are also abundant, from the common ar-arusip (lato to Visayans), to the indigenous pokpoklo, and gamet (what the Japanese call nori—used to wrap sushi).
The Ilocano is not a finicky eater, a fact attested to by his practice of flavoring boiled beef, carabao or goat sweetmeats with the bile and the juice of partially digested grass in the animal’s intestines—a dish variously called papaitan, sinanglao or paksiw in its many variations. He also eats the leaves and fruit of the parya (Tagalog ampalaya), favoring the small native variety that is especially bitter. Food critic and cultural researcher Doreen Fernandez noted this predilection for bitter food among the Ilocanos, saying that we understand the sweetness that follows after eating bitter food.
It is often said that we are what we eat. The foods of the northern provinces speak eloquently of the native qualities of the Ilocano—his famous thrift, the ability to make do and utilize all available resources, as well as his close affinity to the earth, and the rhythm of the changing seasons.
How to Get to Ilocos Norte
There are ten flights (Airbus 150 service) to Laoag every week--PAL every day, and Cebu Pacific on Mondays, Wednesdays and Saturdays. Fare fluctuates from around P1,000 one way to more than P4,000 for business class seats. Cebu Pacific is generally cheaper, but PAL also has budget fares, they're probably just a little more difficult to come by.
There are no taxis or other public utility vehicles at the Laoag Airport. Visitors are advised to arrange transport with the hotels or resorts they book in the province. There are occasional tricycles and jeepneys, but the fares quoted will usually be jacked up. Best to take the jeep, and haggle to P30-P50 per head for the short ride from the airport to Laoag City center. (The drivers will quote anywhere from P50 to P150.) Discussions are underway to resolve this problem, but for the meantime, enjoy the haggling.
Farinas Trans, Partas, Maria de Leon and other provincial bus lines ply the 500 kilometer route between Manila and Laoag, using air conditioned buses. Some have De Luxe buses that seat only 28 passengers--but these are often limited to two buses per day.
Within the city center, tricycle rides are usually P7 per person, but people usually pay P8 to P10. Calesa rides are also at P7 per person, but again, people give P10 per head, or P20 if riding alone (the calesa usually seats maximum of four). Visitors may also rent hourly or half-day. Remember to haggle and bargain.
From Laoag, visitors can choose to head north for the beaches and mountains; the east for Sarrat church and the valleys, rivers; or south for Batac, Paoay, Badoc and other points of interest.
There are no taxis or other public utility vehicles at the Laoag Airport. Visitors are advised to arrange transport with the hotels or resorts they book in the province. There are occasional tricycles and jeepneys, but the fares quoted will usually be jacked up. Best to take the jeep, and haggle to P30-P50 per head for the short ride from the airport to Laoag City center. (The drivers will quote anywhere from P50 to P150.) Discussions are underway to resolve this problem, but for the meantime, enjoy the haggling.
Farinas Trans, Partas, Maria de Leon and other provincial bus lines ply the 500 kilometer route between Manila and Laoag, using air conditioned buses. Some have De Luxe buses that seat only 28 passengers--but these are often limited to two buses per day.
Within the city center, tricycle rides are usually P7 per person, but people usually pay P8 to P10. Calesa rides are also at P7 per person, but again, people give P10 per head, or P20 if riding alone (the calesa usually seats maximum of four). Visitors may also rent hourly or half-day. Remember to haggle and bargain.
From Laoag, visitors can choose to head north for the beaches and mountains; the east for Sarrat church and the valleys, rivers; or south for Batac, Paoay, Badoc and other points of interest.
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