By Virginia Jasmin Pasalo

 

FOR the first time after more than four decades, Aloc met with my siblings who came mostly from Metro Manila to celebrate four October events in our ancestral house and the arrival of my brother Rod and Tilet from the US. October is a most memorable month for the family as we were celebrating three birthdays: my mom’s (24), my sister Emma’s (28), my brother Rey’s (27) and my dad’s death anniversary (26).

Aloc and his caring wife, Gwen, visited on the 29th, as they could not come earlier. They brought goodies from Romana Peanut Brittle Store, which we distributed equally among my siblings, except for Emma and me, whose shares were to be sent via Victory Liner.

Cargo shipment was less frequent in Dagupan, so Gwen drove to Lingayen to ship our cargo, on November 3 as promised, arriving on the same day. Inside the box were our Romana goodies, plus much more: bulalo, tapa, bangus, pork and longganisa. I apportioned the bangus among my siblings, and served the bulalo and longganisa during the despedida of my brother on November 4. The longganisa was consumed immediately without a trace. My nephew JC who is a foodie, asked, “Is there some more of this? Where can we order this?”

In the Philippines, longganisa has several variants depending on the province where it comes from, some of which I have already tasted: Baguio, Cabanatuan, Lucban, Pampanga and Tuguegarao, and those from Pangasinan: Alaminos, Binalonan, and now the longganisa which according to Gwen, was the recipe of Biala from Urdaneta.

Each of the Pangasinan longganisas have a distinct taste, I like all of them. The deep-fried Alaminos longganisa is best eaten with vegetable salad at the Capitol Resort Hotel in Lingayen. The Binalonan longganisa I savor with an added sauce of freshly-ground pepper and pounded garlic. The Biala longganisa is good for parties, where guests prefer a moderation in fat, salt, garlic and some other ingredients blending perfectly with the meat. While the Alaminos and Binalonan come in packages with labels, the Biala longganisa has none, but it is just as perfect.

I remember a conversation I had with the late senator Leticia Ramos-Shahani during breakfast at her house in Tolong, where she said:

“Gie, look at this bukayo. It is the same since my childhood. It has the same taste, the same packaging, no product innovation. I wonder when an entrepreneur can innovate on this product? I wish the local governments support and explore the commercial potential of our indigenous culinary heritage.”

Bukayo is a Filipino dessert made of grated coconut meat cooked in sinakob (from cane sugar) and originally wrapped in banana leaves, a long time ago. Now it is wrapped in plastic or thin paper. During the Spanish occupation, it was named as conserva de coco. Tausugs have a similar version called hinti. A dry version of the bukayo is called bukarilyo, often sold in round shapes with a crumbly texture along the side streets or inside the grounds of the Our Lady of Manaoag Shrine.

It seems, although still slowly, the entrepreneurs of Pangasinan are embracing a new business consciousness and evolving new product development strategies. I can also sense efforts from the provincial government exploring methods and actions to encourage initiatives for Pangasinan products to reach new markets.

Now the good senator can smile. Her wish is beginning to come true, not for the bukayo, but for another product, the longganisa.

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