el-pasubat

el-pasubat-activities

  • What: El Pasubat Festival
  • When: April 28-30, 2011
  • Where: Taal, Batangas

So what exactly is El Pasubat Festival? In essence, it is a showcase of the fine products of my beloved hometown Taal, Batangas. They are as follows:

  • Empanada

empanada

I actually ate one of these just this morning. Well, not exactly these in the photo (as this photo was taken from this website). These here are of the veggie variety which I do not eat because I am carnivorous. Raaawr! Haha. There are actually 2 varieties of empanada, that is pork and vegetable. Veggie empanadas have fillings consisting of minced pork, root vegetables and some pancit. On the other hand, pork empanadas have fillings consisting of minced pork, hard-boiled eggs and raisins. They usually cost around P10 to P16 apiece, depending on the variety and vendor. Pork empanadas usually cost more than the veggie variety. Photo credit to Table for Three, please.

  • Longganisa

longganisang-taal

Longganisang Taal is by far the best longganisa I have ever tasted, hometown-bias aside. In fact, even after tasting other reputed longganisa from other places (Lucban, Vigan, etc.), I remain loyal and exclusively eat only longganisa from Taal. Haha. A kilo of these plump pork goodies sell for about P240 at the local market. Photo credit to JM Quiblat of  Taal | Heritage Town.

  • Panutsa

panutsa

These here are our local version of the peanut brittle. There are actually two varieties of panutsa that I see here, one is sorta sticky and glossy like in the picture while the other is more soft and crumbly and not glossy at all. They both taste good, I assure you. The glossy version is generally more favored but is more likely to stick to your teeth though. Haha. Depending on the size, regular-sized sweets cost from P10 to P35. However, some panutsa makers can do much bigger sizes for slightly higher prices too. Photo credit to Table for Three, please.

  • Suman

suman

There are 2 types of this rice delicacy: the one on top is the sumang haba and the other at the bottom is the suman sa lihiya or sumang magkayakap. The former is already sweetened with sugar and gata (coconut milk) and can be eaten as is. Unwrapping it is sort of a hassle (for me, anyway) because the banana leaf wrapper is oily and sticky. On the other hand, the latter is unsweetened and must be dipped into budbud (crunchy grated coconut with sugar) or drizzled with sweet coconut syrup. The sumang haba costs around P6 apiece while the sumang magkayakap sells for around P12 to P15 per yapos (pair). Photo credits to Dexter Panganiban and Abet C. Narvaez.

  • Barong Tagalog

embroidery-barong

Different materials can be used for the barong, namely piña, jusi, piña-cocoon, gusot mayaman (ramie), organza, etc. Piña is the most expensive though, fetching no less than P3,000 for a barong, even more depending on the intricacy of its embroidered design. It is not merely the Barong Tagalog that is highlighted here, but the famous burdang Taal as well. Just a trivia, I used to do some embroidering during summer vacations back when I was a kid. Anywho, that is not much of a surprise considering practically all of my family did embroidery one time or another (well, the females anyway). Some design terms I remember are ubas, perpilado, and palaman. My Tita Etang “paints” designs for tablecloths and bed covers aside from doing the embroidery itself. Photo credit to JM Quiblan of Taal | Heritage Town.

  • Balisong

balisong

“You don’t mess with a Batangueño/Batangueña.” Just saying. Especially when the Batangueño/Batangueña in question is wielding one of this glittering sharp balisong or butterfly knife. A provincial symbol of courage, the balisong is as identifiable to Batangas as the ubiquitous ala eh! complete with the matching accent. The sizes range from tiny “apo” keychain knives to the 29-inch “super-lolo” of balisong knives. A regular-sized one usually costs roughly P100 to P200 depending on the design and material used for the handle. Photo credit to Larry P. Concepcion.

  • Tapang Taal

tapa

And last but not the least, one of my favorite ulam ever! The best tapsilog is made with tapang Taal, I tell you. Make it a bit toasted around the edges and you’ve got yourself a sure winner. Tapang Taal is made of thinly sliced porkchops marinated in a special blend of soy sauce, kalamansi and garlic. May not sound like much, but really, you have got to try it to believe it! Photo credit to Table for Three, please.

That’s about it. Have you tried any of the above food or products? Do you love them or do you love them?

33 thoughts on “Proud Taaleña!

  1. Waaah! I want to have Longanisang Taal and Tapang Taal for breakfast… now na 🙂 I think I would go for the Not So Glossy Panutsa… I’m such a sucker for peanuts.

  2. Waaah! I want to have Longanisang Taal and Tapang Taal for breakfast… now na 🙂 I think I would go for the Not So Glossy Panutsa… I’m such a sucker for peanuts.

        1. Thanks thanks much! 😀 I credited you for the photo I used after the paragraph about the suman. The link to your page is also there in the link. 🙂

          Btw, taga-Taal ka din po?

        1. Thanks thanks much! 😀 I credited you for the photo I used after the paragraph about the suman. The link to your page is also there in the link. 🙂

          Btw, taga-Taal ka din po?

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