laklako iti ig-igid, public markets/roadside vendors (5)

More market and "marketing" escapades, to continue our series on tiendaan/palengke/merkado/talipapa (local or public markets)...

Just a sort of trivia: do you know that here in Cagayan, most particularly in Tuguegarao City, the local or municipal public markets are called "plaza" by the folks? If you hear someone say "intayo maki-plaza" or "innak 'diay plaza" ("let's/I'll go [to the] plaza"), he/she means going to the public market and not to a certain park or town center which is usually called the plaza by the locals (in Nueva Vizcaya, we also call as plaza the multi-purpose concrete pavement at the center of the barrio or purok used as a basketball court, dancing hall during fiestas, palay-drying area, etc. But in Cagayan, the markets or palengkes are called "plaza" and when you go "makitienda" say "maki-plaza" instead. I was thinking then that perhaps folks here are used going to Farmer's Plaza in Cubao, or in Harrison Plaza in Pasay. To this effect, the spacious "Mall of the Valley" (actually not a mall [well, those useless escalators does not make a so-called "mall", and not even a SaveMore or CD-R King as occupants in a basement make it either] but a ridiculously "extra large" local/public market) in Tuguegarao City should be named "Plaza of the Valley" or simply "Tuguegarao Plaza" instead. Ahem, I'm digressing, sorry.

Mall and malling aside, I love the sidewalks and roadside talipapas more, here are more of it:

Sayote, daludal/sagibsib ti aba, bulong-paria.
Public market, Gonzaga, Cagayan

Various fishes.
Roadside, Currimao, Ilocos Norte.

Ubog ti way ken anibong.
Public market, Gonzaga, Cagayan.

Tabtaba.
Public market, Sanchez Mira, Cagayan.

Various fishes.
Talipapa along the highway, Tuguegarao City, Cagayan.

Tinuno a pusit ken dumadara.
Along the highway, Pasuquin, Ilocos Norte.

Dalag (attasi) ken tilapia.
Roadside, Ballesteros, Cagayan.

Kulot/ur-urmot ken aragan.
Public market, Gonzaga, Cagayan.

Fish, squid.
Municipal Fist Port, Sta. Teresita, Cagayan.

Kalunay, pako, utong, sili, suso (river snails), patani, rangaw-paria.
Public market, Gonzaga, Cagayan.

[See higher resolution (larger and clearer) version of these photographs.]

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a feast of ilokano food exotica...

Of course, there's still a sort of exotica when it comes to Ilokano food, whatever being exotic means. And although these are common fares specially in the away or in the barrios/farming communities, it becomes a rare delicacy or exotic even, when these are featured for all the uninitiated world to see, taste,  or simply to be squeamish. And usually, it's being showcased during so-called festivals, like the recent Gameng Festival in Solsona, Ilocos Norte, an annual celebration which aims "to strengthen Solsona’s culture, promote its cultural products and designs and preserve and conserve its historical and cultural treasure and resources."

Our friend writer-journalist Leilanie Adriano of the Ilocos Times, has exclusively covered the festival, especially the food portion, and shared us these mouth-watering photographs to feast on (click on the photos for a larger view):

Eating insects is not really unusual because Ilokanos are used to beetles, grubs, crickets, and other edible bugs. And of course, ants! And this is kinda extreme--this is abuos (red ants) ukoy or fritter. I myself didn't yet try this one, and I wish I could have one soon!

Sauteed abuos eggs and pupae (with some juvenile ants in it, anyway), well, this is a milder abuos delicacy, I think. I love this one! [See a previous blog post about red ant's egg]

Ballaiba salad. [See a previous blog post about ballaiba]

Tabtaba (also called bakbakasi and barbaradio) salad. [See a previous blog post about tabtaba]

Ensalada nga aba. I miss and missed this one, really. Besides dinengdeng nga aba, we used to just boil aba stalks back in Nueva Vizcaya and garnish it simply with KBL (kamatis-bugguong-lasona) like this. I have yet to see anything like this here in Cagayan. Will try it soon! [See a previous blog post about dinengdeng nga aba]

Kinirog nga ararawan. Fried mole cricket. I haven't had the opportunity to have a taste of this for three decades! Ararawan is a rarity these days! [See a previous blog post about ararawan]

And this! Birabid! This used to be a usual farmer's innapuy pair when I was a child when birabid's still abundant. It's almost extinct nowadays it really became a true exotica! I haven't seen this in 4 billion years!

Dinengdeng a bisukol! But of the Taiwanese variety, though. What I miss are the native ones--the black shelled ones I used to pick in the fields as a small child. Like the birabid, black bisukol is extremely rare.

Adobo a bisukol. Perfect pulotan!

Dinengdeng nga agurong. [See a previous blog post about agurong cooked in coconut milk]

Pakbet a saluyot. [See a previous blog post about  pakbet a saluyot]

Dinakdakan a pakak! Boiled pakak and prepared/seasoned like a pork dinakdakan. [See previous post about dinakdakan]

Marunggay flowers salad (with tender leaves). [See a previous blog post about dinengdeng a marunggay]

Ilokano vegetable salad medley: marunggay blossoms and leaves, sabunganay (banana heart/blossom), and bunga ti rabanos (white radish fruit). [See a previous blog post about susop or sabunganay]

Adobo a tukak! Missed this! [See a previous blog post about tukak]

Tukak barbecue.

Nilingta a kuskusleng. Of the bunog (freshwater goby/mullet) family.

Nailingta a palileng! Now, I can't help but to just imagine the last time I got lucky to partake fat palilengs, that was perhaps about 10 years ago in Gonzaga, Cagayan. Palileng is a tasty freshwater fish, it's so rare, and of course expensive, nowadays.

Still of the goby/mullet family, this is called ilek and which we generally label as bunog.

Nilingta a bukto. Bukto or birut, also commonly called as bunog. [See a previous blog post about bukto/birut/bunog]

Inasar a native a paltat! [See a previous blog post about native paltat]

Tinenneb a dalag (attasi, buntiek). [See a previous blog post about dalag]

Tinola a native a manok.

Dinardaraan a pato.

What a feast!

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fried abaleng/abalin, abal-abal/sibbaweng beetle grub/larvae

Abalin (also abaleng, or tateg [salagubang in Tagalog]), is the grub or larva of the abal-abal or sibbaweng (May/June beetle). While the adult abal-abal is more popularly known as a delicacy, its protein-rich grub is also edible and, as claimed by many "gourmands," even more palatable. Abalin is a popular fare especially in Cagayan and the rest of Cagayan Valley provinces, enjoyed and considered as an special delicacy by both Ibanags, Itaweses and the Ilokanos.These are usually found and gathered (dug out) near or on river banks in the rainy seasons, or prior to the onset of abal-abal season (May-June).

It's usually sold by the glassful early in the market or hawked around. It's kind of expensive but a best seller nonetheless because it's best as a kind of snack, besides being a scrumptious viand to go with rice. And it's a favorite pulotan (finger food) to go with drinks.

Nathaniel B. Gumangan, an Itawes from Enrile, Cagayan shared his simple recipe on how to cook a really good fried abalin (he supplied us the photographs used here), in some steps:

1. Wash and rinse the abalin thoroughly. The abalin, when dug out the ground/earth, the gatherer will already clean it out, squeezing out the "black" entrails (the earth it has eaten), and then cleaned and rinsed throughly in water afterwards before selling or cooking it.

2. Soak the abalin in vinegar and salt for at least an hour.

3. And then, rinse with water. Put it in in a pan with some water. Boil the abalin. Simmer until water is reduced and eventually dry, stirring it occasionally with a ladle. 

4. Add in a little cooking oil and cracked garlic. Add in salt or patis to taste. Stir-fry the abalin until crispy.

5. Serve hot and crunchy!

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sautéed buos/abuos (red/weaver ants) eggs

'Twas abuos (or buos, red/weaver ants) egg-harvesting season when I happened to see this bounty in the public market:

For all I know, harvesting this egg in abundance is seasonal as you can't expect any of it in the market all year round. A rarity that's one reason of its being a delicacy and being branded as an "exotica" in Ilokano cuisine. Although, of course, eating ants and insects is not exclusive to Ilokanos and other Pinoys but most of Asia, especially Southeast, do. For one, in Thailand, the red ant eggs and the ant itself is a delicacy, too, along with tons of other bugs edible to whoever has the fancy or "stomach" to enjoy it. Well, even Mexicanos feast on a delicacy of ant eggs called "escamole" which they refer to as "insect caviar."

See those magnificent eggs--errrr, pupae--and and "infant" ants in there? Looks yucky for some but yummy for a lot more Ilokanos who don't consider this as an exotica of sorts but just plain and simple viand to go with a hard-earned, perfectly steamed--nalinlinay and nakasaysayamusom--rice.

Preparing the abuos dish is again simplest of the simple. Mostly, it is sautéed or stir-fried: you slice some onions, crush some cloves of garlic, slice some tomatoes; put some cooking oil in a pan, and over high heat, sauté the onions, garlic and tomatoes, and after which put in the eggs and stir fry. Add some salt, and some ground pepper if you like. Cooking the eggs is brief, you know it's done when they become more translucent and shrunk a little than its raw size.

A somehow comfort food that yet again shows the versatility and industry of the Ilokanos and his cuisine.



(Originally blogged November 12, 2009)

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