#bicolexpress

OK, BICOL EXPRESS but not awesome So I ordered lunch via GrabFood the other day. Usually, I’d order a meal (that’s “ulam and rice”) and a separate order of the same ulam “ala carte”, especially when I love the ulam and I think the one with the meal will not be sufficient to satisfy my cravings. That day, I ordered BICOL EXPRESS (sorry, I’m not going to mention the name of the “store” to…

I was never fond of Filipino foods. I may have been dubbed as part of the “upper-class”, but I never chanced upon tasting foods in carinderias, which are small food stalls typically located across roadsides. Smoke emitted all over the road stained my impression on these food stalls as it spelled dirt and dust sprinkling over their foods. However, it wasn’t until I came to spend lunch out with my friends in my university, where everyday saving was meant as a living statement for frugal students. We happened to come across a carinderia called, Kawayanan, where students, teachers, and passersby alike were feasting on meals offered by the food stall. There came a boiling pot of menudo, a steamy soup of tinolang manok, and, my personal favorite, bicol express. 

My love for bicol express felt unreal, to say the least. I only happened to taste it as I was curious as to why my classmate kept reordering this, turning it into her staple lunch meal. It took much courage to taste beyond the oddly looking cream surrounding the food, partially covering the meat at its core, and the bizarre name it’s associated with. I could remember everything so well in the back of my mind– as to when I bought it, who I was with, and the spiciness that made Bicol Express stand out among all the spicy foods I’ve ever tasted. 

Bicol Express is a regional pride of a stew made with pork, gata, fermented shrimp paste, and local chili. The dish is famously known for its origin in Bicol, where the cuisine was popularized by a woman named Cely Kalaw, who suitably named the dish based on the PNR train route from Manila to Legazpi. 

The dish wasn’t just a “spicy flavor”, it was all so confounding. It would make you guess as to how much spiciness it would have, because unlike other days, I would taste it with more meat and less chili, or even spicier but less creamier. This culinary specialty surely elicits wild guesses on how creamier or spicier the creamy dish is, while satisfying the craving of a mouthwatering spicy dish. 

I happen to be a person whose love for food stems from unusual impressions. I remember in my childhood days of not having to eat pizza because it looked unusual enough for a piece of bread to be sprinkled with various toppings. However, if not without my friend’s/ family’s advice, I wouldn’t have given in to the savory tastes of these foods. Such foods including Bicol Express was a testament to how foods mixed with various ingredients would come kicking in with a heaven sent meal, without having to distinguish all of the different flavors infused in one blend. 

I’ve only tasted my first and last Bicol Express in Kawayanan, and I am still yet to further taste other dishes in other carinderias. The thought of not having to eat this outside carinderias weakens the tough love I have for this dish. To this end, I’d get to anticipate and relish lunch soon as classes would begin to gear up my tastebuds for an exciting thrill of a meal again. 

Ang Bicol ay isa sa aming matagal ng pinagpaplanuhang puntahan ng aking pamilya dahil sa ito ay isa sa mga dinadayuhang lugar dito sa Pilipinas kasama ang aking pamilya.Bagamat malayo ang Bicol mula Bataan ay nagpatuloy parin kami at pumunta dito gamit ang aming sasakyan at nagbyahe ng walong oras. Bata pa lamang ako ay naging mukang bibig na ng aking lola ang angking kagandahang tinataglay ng rehiyon ng Bicol kaya't papunta pa lamang kami doon ay punong puno na ako ng pananabik sa lugar na ito. 

Ang bicol ay matatagpuan sa katimugang bahagi ng kapuluan sa Pilipinas. Bago kami makarating sa centro ng probinsya ng Bicol ay dumaan muna kami sa lalawigan ng Camarines Sur upang magpahinga at kumain. Ang Camarines Sur ay isa sa mga lalawigang bumubuo sa Bicol at isa sa probinsiyang napapalibutan ng mga bundok.

Sa unang araw ng Bicol ay agad naming pinuntahan ang isa sa kadahilanan kung bakit pinupuntahan ng maraming turista ang Bicol at ito ay ang bulkang Mayon. Ang bulkang ito ay isang aktibong bulkan na matatagpuan sa lungsod ng Legazpi. Ito ay kilalang bulkan sa Pilipinas sapagkat ito ay mayroong halos perpektong hugis apa at naging dahilan kung bakit nakilala ang rehiyon ng Bicol.Sa pagpunta namin dito ay nakita namin ang laki at kagandahan ng bulkang ito ngunit maaari lamang namin itong tanawin sapagkat pinagbabawalan ang pagpunta ng malapit dito dahil ito ay isang aktibong bulkan.

Sinubukan din naming gumamit ng trail bike sa pagpunta sa bulkang Mayon upang malibot ang malawak na kapatagan kung saan makikita mo ng mas maayos at kagandahan ng bulkang Mayon. Sa pag lilibot namin dito ay namangha ako sa kapatagang nakapalibot sa bulkang Mayon dahil makikita mo dito ang mga magagandang bato na nagmula sa pagputok ng bulkan.

Ang aming tinuluyang tahanan ay ang lugar kung saan lumaki ang aking lola. Hindi kalayuan ay mapupuntahan kaming dagat kaya’t napag napag kasunduan na maligo dito. Sa ikalawang araw namin ay nag dagat kami kasama ang aming mga kamag anak na taga-Bicol at habang nag lalakad lakad sa dalampasigan ay nagulat ako ng makita ko na tanaw parin ang bulkang Mayon doon.

Ang dagat dito ay may pinagkaiba sa dagat sa Bataan dahil kitang kita dito na buhay na buhay ang mga corals at makikitang mo ang iba’t ibang isda na duon lamang makikita. Habang kami ay lumalangoy ay naka kita rin ako ng malalaking sea shells at Starfish.

ANG MAKASAYSAYANG SIMBAHAN NG CAGSAWA

Ang huli naming pinuntahan ay ang Cagsawa Church, matatagpuan ito sa barangay Busay, Cagsawa, munisipalidad ng Daraga, Albay. Sa pag punta namin dito ay makikita ang kasaysayan ng simbahang ito na natabunan noong pagsabog ng bulkang Mayon sa taong Pebrero 1, 1814 na naging dahilan ng pagkasira nito. Ngunit makikita dito na sa paglipas ng taon ay pinaganda ito ng mga mamamayang mula dito at naging makasaysayang lugar at pinupuntahan ng maraming turista.

PANGKABUUAN

Ang ganda ng Mayon and I'll be back for sure.

Any dish prepared with wonderful coconut milk is referred to as ginataan. It is deliciously creamy and gives the crisp, fresh flavors of the vegetables we already know and love a lovely twist. Particularly in areas like the Bicol region, ginataan is very well-liked. Coconut milk and a lot of spice are two ingredients that Bicolanos adore in their food.

It is crucial that you prepare all of your ingredients before beginning to cook your Ginataang Kalabasa at Sitaw. Slice the string beans, also known as sitaw, into pieces that are approximately 2 inches long. Also cube the kalabasa or squash. Your chopped onions, ginger, and garlic are other items that could also need to be prepared (crushed).

Ingredients

1 1/2 lbs. squash cubed

18 pieces string beans cut in 2-inch pieces

1 piece Knorr Pork cube

3 ounces pork sliced into small pieces, preferably boiled

4 cups coconut milk

1 piece onion chopped

2 thumbs ginger sliced into strips

5 cloves garlic crushed

¼ teaspoon ground black pepper

1 tablespoon cooking oil

Fish sauce to taste

Instrunctions

Here in our country, Philippines surely has a lot of remarkable tourist spot and destinations. Along with it are food delicacies that surely a lot of people will find interesting. We sure can travel around the world, but in our country; we have Luzon, Visayas and Mindanao. However, we will focus only on the Bicol Region of Luzon.

“There’s just so much about the region to be discovered and showcased, and this is also an opportunity to work with local communities and create livelihoods,” Mr. Buenaflor says, a food enthusiast residing in Bicol. We have a coordinator who leads the tour and local chefs conducting food demonstrations. The cities are also tapped to assist in our market tours, and a hotelier in Sorsogon personally hosts the guests. It really is, in the truest sense, a community effort to showcase our region.” These food tour only covers three main cities in Bicol, specifically, Naga, Legaspi and Sorsogon.

Bicol boasts delectable local foods! This is what highlight one’s travel experience. In Bicol cuisine, you will notice how they frequently employ creamy coconut milk (one of their main crops) and red chili peppers. Some of their most popular meals are likely to have been tried and reproduced by us at home. Nothing, however, compares to the thrill of tasting it just where it was made. Bicol is famed for its spicy food, which is based largely on coconut and chilies – as evidenced in the likes of gulay na lada or Bicol Express (pork and local chilies cooked in coconut cream), laing (taro leaves with meat or seafood in coconut milk, spiced with chili, lemongrass and more) and local specialties featuring local pili nuts.

Delight your taste buds and other senses with what the region has to offer for I am going to provide you a complete list of delicacies to taste in Bicol so you may have an unforgettable experience. It may even entice you to return for more! First we have in the Bicol is the Province of Albay: (1) Bicol Express (2)Kocido (3)Kandinga & (4)Pinangat. Camarines Sur: (1)Kinalas (2)Sinarapan (3)Laing Pizza & (4)Bicol Express. Camarines Norte: (1)Sinantol (2)Kinunot & (3)Bicol Express. Sorsogon: (1)Baluko (2)Kinagang (3)Timitim & (4)Bicol Express. Masbate: (1)Carmelado de Masbateño (2) Sinanglay & (3)Ginataang Reemas. Catanduanes: (1)Latik (2)Steamed Mud Crabs (3)Ensaladang Fresh Pako (4)Binambam & (5)Bicol Express.

Nevertheless, nothing beats a genuine Bicol Express dish. This is, without a doubt, probably one of the best Bicol dishes. It is widely available and enjoyed by all Filipinos. It is a cuisine that's currently being remade in a proportion of households. So, when you are in the region, this should surely be on top of your list! Bicol Express or “sinilihan” is a mouthwatering, spicy delicacy made from long chilies or siling Mahaba, coconut milk, and pork. It is a flavored combo you never thought to exist. Not a fan of spicy food? Don’t fret, because there are plenty of restaurants in the area that serve many versions of the dish. In fact, in some parts of Bicol, Bicol Express is made without pork. Experience it for yourself and take your pick!

Ultimately, Bicol is a place exploding with a variety of flavors and culture reflected in the unique cuisine exclusively found in her quaint towns and barrios. I urge you to visit the finest destinations to experience Bicol cuisine, learn straight from the locals, notable chefs and experts from the region. Hear wonderful stories behind the people and communities that help make the region a must-visit.

ESSAY BY: RAQUION, DHANYLYNE A.