CHAPTER 6 CENTRAL AND EASTERN VISAYAN CUISINE

Objectives:
At the completion of this chapter
students are expected to:

• Discuss Central and Eastern Visayan

cuisine
• Enumerate the popular dishes of
Central and Eastern Visaya
• Describe the characteristic Eastern and
Central Visayan cuisine

CEBU

Cebu is not only popular tourist destination for its fine beaches and historic
landmark. Cebu is also a gastronomic delight that never fails to satisfy the palate. From
the popular dried seafood danggit / rabbit fish to the crispy to the inimitable lechon /
suckling pig and from pasalubong varieties like the popular dried mangoes
and otap as keepsakes to friends, Cebu has them all.
Cebuano cooking was influenced by foreign presence due to the presence of
foreign visitors during the early part of Philippine history. In those days, Cebu was a port
flourishing with trade with her neighbors, her culture and cuisine were Indo-Malay and
her plates were from China and Thailand. When the Spaniards came, they introduced
potatoes, avocado and corn from Mexico, enriching the variety of food available to the
Cebuanos. Cattle from China, Mexico, and Spain came towards the end of the fifteenth
century.
The Chinese, though they traded with Cebu since ancient times, came to settle in
large numbers in Cebu only towards the latter half of the nineteenth century. With this
wave of immigration came Chinese noodles and lugaw, soy sauce, bean curd, the
particular flavors or sesame oil and dried mushrooms, and new ways of cooking like
steaming and stir-frying.
Then the Americans came with their own ethnocentric notions of what constituted
good food and hygienic eating. They made Cebuanos wash their hands and boil most of
their food, and started in earnest to influence the way Cebuanos eat.
Speaking of ingredients, Cebuano food is big on chili peppers (“sili” locally) and vinegar.
The locally grown peppers look like harmless tiny red slugs, but be warned, they pack a
mean punch. Cebuanos mainly use sili as a side dish for dipping other morsels into. The
sauce is made by combing the sili with a local vinegar that is made from a coconut sap
mixture.
The Cebuanos’ love for food is evident in their signature Cebuano dishes that are
worth mentioning. They include:
 • Kinilaw is often translated as “salad,” but that is a poor translation because its
nowhere near what most Westerners think of when they use the word. Kinilaw is
a combination of vegetables (tomatoes are the bulk) and raw fish (tanigue –
similar to tuna) flavored with a mixture of chilies, vinegar, and coconut milk.
Delectably stunning.
• Escabeche usually gets translated as “sweet and sour fish.”
• Kanding caldereta is usually translated as “goat stew.” It is a gourmet dish in
Cebuano culture.
• Tinola is among the most well known soups in the Philippines – spring onions,
tomatos, green chili, garlic, ginger, and a local herb similar to basil leaves. You
can get fish tinola or chicken tinola.
• Sinigang is also a soup, but flavored with tamarind. It can have either fish or
chicken in it.
• Pochero is another soup. This one boasts large chunks of pork. It’s flavored with
garlic, herbs and includes lots of vegetables. The flavour is distinct and rich.
• Ginisal is usually served as a vegetable dish. It commonly includes bean sprouts,
bamboo-shoots, beans and cabbage cooked in soy sauce, vinegar, onions, and
garlic.
• Inun-unan (paksiw na isda) is a fish dish cooked in garlic and vinegar. Usually it
is cooked in something like a crock pot. Most Western tourists are surprised at
how much they like the dish

Lechon Cebu

Lechon or the Philippine roast pig, is long a mainstay in

Philippine parties and considered a matter of pride by
Filipinos. By reputation, the Cebu lechon is considered
by most as the tastiest and crispiest, with such
flavorful meat that condiments or sauce are typically
not necessary anymore. The difference between
lechon Cebu and others are not limited to name, but a
careful choice of raw materials, bloodletting,
butchering, basting, and finally the Broiling.

Sutukil
SuTuKil is the shorter version of Sugba-Tula-Kilaw (Grill-Stew-Eat Raw), three cooking
styles which the Mactan folks consider their specialty. Sutukil restaurants specialize in
cooking foods the ways it is translated. Most sutukil restaurants once started as small
eateries that have flourished and turned big. They also come with the common
ambiance of outdoor dining: nipa roofs, outdoor style and plastic dining pieces. And
because of the open-air reception, menu rates are usually affordable and the grilled
foods are often hits.

Dried Rabbitfish (Danggit)

Danggit is a salted dried fish that is best paired with hot rice and dipped in vinegar.
Others prefer a mixture of vinegar and crushed chili peppers with a dash of salt. Others
might want to add a little bit more of spices to enhance the flavor. Onions, garlics,
ginger are some of the favorites. One of the best places to buy danggit in Cebu is at
Tabo-an Market. Some locals say that there are also danggit in other markets but the
Cebu Tabo-an Market has a more varied selections.

Otap
Otap is an oval biscuit made of flour, sugar, shortening and the ever reliable coconut.
Sprinkled with sugar, a careless bite of this fragile biscuit would send fragments of it
flying to the floor. But it is not as scary as it sounds; though one have to admit that
eating otap is an art by itself. There are many otap makers in Cebu City but the most
famous are Shamrock, La Fortuna and Masterline. All of them have specialty
bakeshops in Cebu that sell otap and other native snacks.

Rosquillos
Rosquillos are cookies or biscuits that are ring in shape. The cookies are famous
because of their being crispy, light and delicious. Moreover, the rosquillos is popular
because they can be made or baked even when you are at your own home. It is
important to differentiate the Rosquillos of Cebu from the rosquillos of Spain, which are
more of olive oil doughnuts. The town of Liloan is known to be the home of the original
rosquillos. In fact they have embraced it so much and has even created a festival
named after this sweet biscuits.

Dried Mango
The best tasting dried mangoes in the country, if not the world. This ripe, sun dried
mangoes is good for snacks and desserts. It has a chewy consistency that makes its
taste linger in your mouth. With its bite size, you can eat it wherever you are. At work, at
the beach or in your house enjoying a bite with your love ones. Dried mangoes are
excellent fat-free alternatives to sugary snacks. With its sweet and non-acidic zest, this
dried fruit product is rich in vitamins and made from the best handpicked mangoes of
Cebu. Each bite is guaranteed to be tasty, chewy and full of flavor.

Puso Rice
Rice cannot get any more portable than this. More
commonly known as “hanging rice”, Puso rice is boiled
and wrapped in coconut leaves, and you will most likely
notice them hanging in batches in local eateries.

The coconut leaves impart flavour and serve as an easy

package that you can carry anywhere. The versatile Puso
rice can be paired with street foods, Lechon, or anything
else you can get your hands on.
NEGROS ORIENTAL
Negros Oriental is a province in the Philippines located in the Central
Visayas region. Its capital is the city of Dumaguete. It occupies the southeastern half of
the large island of Negros, and borders Negros Occidental, which comprises the
northwestern half. It also includes Apo Island, a popular dive site for both local and
foreign tourists.
Negros Oriental faces Cebu to the east across the Tañon Strait and Siquijor to
the south-east (which happened to be part of the province before). The primary spoken
language is Cebuano and the predominant religious denomination is Roman
Catholicism. Dumaguete City is the capital, seat of government and most populous city
of the province. With a population of 1,354,995 inhabitants,  it is the second most-
populous province in Central Visayas after Cebu, the fifth most-populous province in
the Visayas and the 19th most-populous province of the Philippines.
The best way to immerse oneself in a particular region’s culture is to eat like a
local. And that’s exactly what we did during our recent trip to Dumaguete City. Its food
scene offers a good mix of traditional and modern cuisine, catering to the myriad
tourists that flock the city. Being a waterfront settlement, expect seafood to be
abundant, readily available and affordable at Dumaguete.
First off, begin your day with a filling breakfast in one of the painitans at the
Dumaguete Public Market. We chose Sison’s Painitan at the farthest end of a row of
stalls. Painitan is a place where workers and just about anybody else can have
something “mainit” or warm to fill their bellies and energize their bodies in anticipation of
a long day of work.
Food here is very basic — a shot of thick native chocolate drink, a cup of brewed
coffee with condensed milk, a scoop of puto (sticky rice cooked in coconut milk and a
little salt), a piece or two of kabog (similar to suman or steamed cassava roll wrapped in
banana leaf) and maybe bread with either margarine or peanut butter
The eastern half of Negros Island has some specialties to offer, some of which
owes to sugar industry where lands used to be tilled. Here are some treat you can take
home from this province:

SAN RIVAL
The pride of Dumaguete, this pastry is made
basically of meringue sandwiched with cream and
butter and showered with cashew nuts. Sliced akin to
loaves of bread, this light dessert is perfect with coffee to
satisfy your buttery cravings. I took a slice and at first
bite, the cream seeps in to your taste buds as it was
served chilled. I finished the slice in a minute and felt
like I want to ask for more. However, I need to try the
second item.

SILVANA
This sister of sans rival is a cookie made also of
meringue but filled with butter and cream. It is chewier and
best eaten chilled, closer to ice cream sandwich. Once you took a bite, you won’t stop to
take or eat a box of these. I’ve tasted ones from Nueva Ecija and guaranteed their milky
goodness. Can’t help to take more but I have to buy other delicacies as well.

BUDBOD
This rolled millet rice cake from Tanjay City is
their specialty. Millet, a kind of round grain is made into
these sticky cakes and a common staple for breakfast in
public markets in Negros. There rice cakes are more
expensive than common glutinous rice varieties but the
texture is different. The taste varies as it is not too sweet,
perfect with a slice of ripe mangoes and chocolate drink
for a fulfilling breakfast

INATO

Visayans have several ways of grilling chicken

like inasal and inato. Lately I found out that Dumaguete is the
birthplace of famous Jo’s Chicken Inato. This barbecue,
grilled to a tender-juicy crisp, is marinated in a special sauce
for its aromatic flavor, and served with atchara or picked
papaya. Their single serving is big enough to make you full.
Couple with unlimited rice,

BAQUIRON
Barquiron is a fusion of two
delicacies: barquillos (wafer rolls) and polvoron (powdered
milk candy). Polvoron is put in every wafer roll and packed.
The taste is light as sweetness of polvoron overpowers the
plain flavor if barquillo. It is a perfert pasalubong for people
who enjoy these two-treats-in-one package.

LEYTE

When you hear the word Leyte, the first thing that would come in mind is Binagol and
Chocolate moron. These delicacies give the province its identity. Here are the top five
delicacies that you should not miss if you get the chance to visit Leyte.
The province of Leyte became well-known around the world when it was struck
by typhoon Yolanda in November 2013, along with other parts of the Philippines.
Calubian, a fourth-class municipality in Leyte, was one of the places that the typhoon
damaged. Trees fell down, houses got damaged, a lot of people became homeless —
the town was in bleak, dire straits but, true to Filipino form, it slowly but steadily
recovered and things are now almost back to normal.
Many people in Samar and eastern Leyte are Waray, a largely rural people who
have retained many beliefs and much of their folklore from pre-Christian times, and who
are famed for their strong and very beautiful women.
Don’t miss a taste of the local delicacy of binagol (a half-coconut shell filled with
mashed taro with condensed milk, coconut milk and egg yolks, sold at pavement stalls),
Abuyog’s moron (ground sticky rice cooked in coconut milk flavoured with cocoa) and
tuba (coconut wine). Local seafood, fresh or salted, features highly on menus. The
culinary tradition of Leyte and Samar blends the local with Chinese, Continental
European and American flavours.
Binagol

Whether you are visiting Leyte for volunteer work or

going on a backpacking trip, this is a native delicacy you
should not miss. Visitors and locals alike know that traveling
to this region is not complete without buying food products
to bring home to friends and Binagol should be on top of the
list. Made from a root crop that is similar to cassava and
locally called “talyan”, Binagol is a mixture of flour, sugar,
milk and the crushed talyan. The ingredients are cooked and packed on top of a halved
coconut shell and covered with banana leaves. The most delicious part is in the middle
since the sweet part is concentrated here. It is native to Dagami, Leyte but these
products can also be found in other towns. It is a sweet delicacy that has a different
taste and a distinct packaging. Binagol is made from Glutinous rice and taro pudding
with nuts, it also has an exciting part in the middle. There is a sweet mixture of coconut
and “Kalamay” (an alternative for brown sugar) in the middle. It is called as BINAGOL
because of its packaging that is in a coconut shell, which is “bagol” in Waray-Waray.

Chocolate Moron
It is an exquisite chocolatey ‘kakanin’ that is wrapped in a banana leaf, a
combination of white coating and chocolate mixture. Moron is always present in all
occasions in Leyte and Samar. The technique to make a delicious chocolate moron is
that you have to balance the chocolate mixture and the white
coating mixture so that you’ll get the perfect play of textures.
Like with Binagol, you can buy chocolate moron in
pasalubong centers in Tacloban City.
Glutinous rice cooked in cocoa and coconut milk, this
sweet delicacy is as equally famous the Binagol. Originally
from Tacloban City, Moron is soft and sticky. Also wrapped in
banana leaf, this rice cake is smooth and a bit oily.
Suman-Latik

Another version of rice cake is the suman malagkit made from

glutinous rice, coconut milk, brown sugar and flavored with lye
solution, which makes the taste distinct. Also wrapped in
banana leaf, this dessert is served with the “latik” sauce on top
and is best enjoyed with coffee or hot chocolate. Grated
coconut meat can also be used as topping.

Roscas

Made in Barugo, Leyte, Roscas are like cookies but harder to bite. This is made
from lard, anise, flour, sugar, butter and eggs.

Bukayo
Although this delicacy is sold in other parts of the country, this native delicacy is
made from coconuts which are abundant in the islands. This is perfect for people who
love sweet desserts since this is made from a mixture of brown or white sugar with
strips of young coconut strip boiled in water.

Vacuum Fried Jackfruit

Developed by a faculty member from Visayas

State University in Baybay City, Leyte, this is a
nutritious food product made from the pulp of ripe jack
fruit. This is a healthy food snack because of its natural
ingredient that is processed without the use of artificial
preservatives and sugar. Here, jackfruit is dehydrated
and vacuumed in a fryer. The end-product is a delicious
snack in bite-size that is neither bland nor too sweet.