The Other Side of Laguna

How much do you know Laguna? We always hear of Los Baños because of the University of the Philippines campus also known as LB or Elbi, Biñan because of Puto (rice cake) and Pagsanjan because of the famous waterfalls. But have you explored Santa cruz, Majayjay, Santa Maria and Luisiana? These are lesser known towns with as much bounty as other blessed places in this coconut-producing  province. Because the climate bodes well for many crops like banana, coconut, papaya and is also good for dairy production, we find a basket of products from this rich place. But did you know it skirts around the Laguna bay and goes up to Mabitac connecting to the province of Rizal?

At a recent event named “Pantalan” (dock) at the Salonga compound housing two restaurants- Ted’s (an American diner) and Aurora (Filipino cuisine) the family converted what used to be their rice mill into an activity center. Together with the Provincial Government and the Tourism office, they organized an Arts, Crafts and Food fair featuring the lesser known towns and city slickers (like myself) enjoyed the shopping for farm fresh produce and  certain food specialties. It was interesting to try Native Duck or Itik, Kesong Puti (native white cheese) and a strange version of Laing called Putangher, made with Cassava leaves instead of Taro.

There were woven baskets made from Pandan grass, embroidery demos, wood carving demo from Paete  and even an ice carving that was quickly melting in the sun. The Tourism officers were hard at work to explain the destinations one can enjoy in other parts of Laguna—the lesser known parts we can drive to or eat at, and taste the sweetest Lanzones, Rambutan and other fruits in season.

After going around the tables similar to what I experienced in Italy’s Slow Food Earth Market where you talk to the very farmer who grows the coffee, milks the carabaos and who process the cacao, bagoong and Kesong Puti ice cream, there was lunch served at the Aurora restaurant, behind the rice mill. Here at the lunch, farmers and consumers met and talked about their products and we talked about markets. I was seated across Mang Levi who heads a cacao growers association in Nagcarlan. We broke bread and talked about cacao and how they are happy about  direct connections to buyers. We were soon joined by the Governor himself, the Honorable Ramil Hernandez,  along with his Tourism officers who enjoyed the Cochinillo and Binatog(popped boiled corn) , Carabeef Karekare, and a lot of appetizers including Maruya and Kulawo. Yes, you may have not heard of these combinations before and it is time to discover their food culture as well.

I found the popular local delicacy, Espasol, on the dessert table. This was served along with Cassava and Ube desserts, which I made sure to try as Gel Salonga-Datu , one of the owners, is a famous pastry chef. The beverage served was a Lambanog (local liquor) with Lemon and a refreshing Tamarind juice. No sodas or iced tea was served which I was most thankful for. This is attention to detail that will surely be appreciated by Slow Food advocates. From appetizers to the mains, down to beverages, all were local, good and definitely memorable. Definitely, one can form a Slow Food community to serve and promote Laguna’s local food culture. Laguna can even curate a Slow Food Travel itinerary for these lesser-known towns.

Thanks to the Salonga family and Chefs Day Salonga,  Gel Salonga-Datu and Dino Datu the annual event has become a tourist event of sorts bringing people from Manila to this town. It is   a two-hour drive through the narrower roads passing through the Los Baños area. Soon,  the Governor assured us, there will be other roads to make access easier and faster from Manila. Another route around is to circle the lake and head northeast to Mabitac , Laguna where we went to visit Kota Paradiso, a forest bathing destination as well as a coffee farm. We went on a hike in Mabitac and got to know forest trees and how the owners are propagating them.

Meantime, in Laguna’s lesser known towns we got to know that salted duck eggs actually come from here and not from Pateros as we first thought. There is a vibrant duck industry and locals  cook duck or itik as adobo, inihaw (grilled) , and kaldereta style.

The Aurora Restaurant which used to be in the town proper has found its new home in the Salonga compound and here we were served the local recipes like MInanok-  banana heart cooked in smoked coconut which Chef Dino describes as a greyish gata,and is paired with Maruya, a fried banana treat. A mix of savory ,  sweet and a little tartness, MInanok was my vegetarian favorite in the spread. I find that pairings happen here as well, just like in Cavite. They call it “terno-terno” or you might say suggested pairings. Like the cochinillo (suckling pig) with Binatog ( boiled puffed corn kernels which I usually eat for merienda).

Kulawo is a way of cooking with charcoal being mixed with the coconut before it is squeezed for “milk”. So one can have kulawo banana heart and kulawo eggplant. My next favorite was the Kulawo eggplant with dulong (small fish) and camote rosti .

The Chefs also had a salad station with local greens from Majayjay—alugbati, pako, Ubod-- paired with salted egg (of course) and tomatoes and a mango-bagoong dressing. It is like eating all your favorites in a salad but with a local familiar flavor. Majayjay’s weather is like Tagaytay which explains the bounty of vegetables in this town. We used to just pass through this town on our way to Lucban, Quezon. The next time I go, I will surely stop and get some vegetables.

So, when you drive to Laguna, make sure you go farther south than Los Baños and discover the other towns. You may be in for a gastronomic surprise.