Top 7 Calabarzon Foods

Bulalô is a traditional Filipino soup that is prepared by cooking beef shanks and marrow bones until the fat and collagen dissolve into the broth, resulting in a robust flavor of the dish. The soup is a specialty of the Luzon region, where it is traditionally consumed during cold weather, when it is usually served for dinner. Most versions of the soup include vegetables such as cabbage, string beans, onions, and corn. It can be found in most upscale restaurants in the Philippines, due to the fact that beef shank and bone marrow are not among the cheapest cuts of meat in the country. It is believed that this simple, comforting, and flavorful soup is the best when the meat is so tender that it falls off the bone.Expand

Buko pie is a traditional dessert which consists of a flaky pie crust combined with creamy coconut filling. It is prepared with buko, the young coconut flesh which is cooked alongside plain or condensed milk, cream, and sugar until it transforms into a thick and creamy custard. According to popular belief, it was invented by Soledad Pahud, a native Filipino who spent some time working in the United States. After she had returned, she wanted to adapt the traditional American apple pie with locally available ingredients. Together with her family, she invented buko pie, a dessert which soon became a favorite throughout the country. Apart from being a delicious dessert, buko pie is one of the most popular Filipino souvenirs.Expand

Pichi-pichi is a Filipino dessert consisting of three key ingredients: grated cassava, sugar, and water. The concoction is steamed until it develops a firm, glutinous texture, and it is then rolled in desiccated coconut. The dessert is especially popular during merienda, parties, and celebrations. This delicate, sticky treat was originally invented in the Quezon Province.Expand

Espasol is a soft, chewy Filipino rice cake prepared with a combination of toasted glutinous rice flour and grated green coconut that is slowly cooked in coconut milk. The mixture turns into soft, pliable dough that is shaped into long cylinders or triangles before each cake is coated in rice flour. Espasol is associated with the Laguna region, where it is a hailed as a local specialty that is usually bought at various restaurants, stores, and street stalls.Expand

Pancit habhab or pancit Lucban is a traditional type of pancit originating from the Quezon province. The dish is usually made with a combination of dried flour noodles (miki Lucban), pork belly slices, beef stock, shrimp, pig liver, bok choy, peas, carrots, onions, garlic, soy sauce, oil, and black pepper. The ingredients are sautéed and stir-fried until everything is tender, and the dish is then served on a banana leaf and topped with shrimp and vegetables. Lime wedges are often served on the side. Pancit habhab is enjoyed without utensils – you pick up the banana leaf and eat the noodle dish like a sandwich, just don't eat the banana leaf wrapper.Expand

Apas are traditional cookies originating from Lucena in the Philippines. These Southern Tagalog specialties have a base of a typical biscuit, with hints of sweetness and milkiness. They are very thin, oblong, wafer-like, and topped with sugar. The crispy and thin cookies can be bought in most markets in the Philippines.Expand

Uraró are traditional Filipino cookies originating from the Tagalog people of southern Luzon. The cookies are traditionally made with arrowroot flour, duck egg yolks, milk, rendered lard, and sugar. Once prepared, the mixture is baked in a traditional Filipino clay oven called a pugon, and the resulting cookies should have a melt-in-the-mouth quality, as well as milky and buttery flavors. However, the modern versions of uraró are made with a combination of margarine or butter, arrowroot flour, milk, sugar, and eggs. If desired, the cookies can be enriched with the addition of maple syrup or coconut cream. They are commonly stacked in cylinders and sold wrapped in colored crepe paper. The name of these cookies is derived from uraró or araró, a Tagalog and Spanish name for the maranta arrowroot.Expand