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Revisiting old Taal through its ancestral homes and heirloom recipes

Article (news)

Michaela Fenix

<p>The flags were flying high from many of the houses in Taal, revolutionary flags with the letters KKK prominently displayed. These letters, as all Filipinos should know, stand for the Kataastaasang Kagalanggalangang Katipunan of the revolutionary army. It was two days before Independence Day, and the flags were an expected sight in this heritage town, serving as colorful reminders of Taal’s illustrious residents (the ilustrado) who had risked their economic standing, and even their lives in the struggle against the Spaniards.</p><p>Just like in many other towns in the country, many of the residents of Taal have had to leave to study or work in urban centers. The houses they left behind have deteriorated, which is a shame, because there is so much history in these homes. There is the home of Marcela Marino Agoncillo, who designed and made the Philippine flag while in exile in Hong Kong. Another house, belonging to Don Eulalio Villavicencio, was where the Katipunan leaders held their meetings—and made their escape through a trapdoor in the dining room that led to an underground tunnel, thus eluding raids by the guardia civil. The well-preserved home of the late diplomat extraordinaire Felipe Agoncillo is located at the very entrance of the town, coming from the Alitagtag route, his statue standing resplendent and formal before the gates.</p><div> </div><h3><em>You may also like:</em></h3><ul class="op-related-articles">	<li><a href="https://news.abs-cbn.com/ancx/travel/destination/04/04/19/the-half-day-tour-cebu-for-beginners">The half-day tour: Cebu for beginners</a></li>	<li><a href="https://news.abs-cbn.com/ancx/food-drink/features/03/12/19/whats-good-to-eat-in-sagada">What’s good to eat in Sagada?</a></li>	<li><a href="https://news.abs-cbn.com/ancx/food-drink/restaurants/01/17/19/still-hungry-heres-where-to-eat-next-in-2019">12 new restos to try this 2019, from Shake Shack to Wildflour&#x27;s first Italian concept</a></li>	<li><a href="https://news.abs-cbn.com/ancx/food-drink/restaurants/02/20/19/the-brand-new-craft-1945-gives-us-old-baguio-vibes">The brand new Craft 1945 is giving us old Baguio vibes</a></li></ul><div> </div><h3>Focus on restoration</h3><p>My first visit to Taal 20 years ago was disappointing. Many of the houses were in a sad state of disrepair. The Basilica of St. Martin of Tours, imposing even then, built as it was on a high promontory, was unimpressive, its ceiling stripped of its painted “fresco,” which had been rolled up and stored away. Even today, few remember that the fresco had once been there.</p><div class="embed-wrap"><figure data-feedback="fb:likes,fb:comments"><img src="http://sa.kapamilya.com/absnews/abscbnnews/media/ancx/food-n-drink/2019/10/1taal.jpg"/><figcaption>The dining area at Goco House, which represents the way of life of the ilustrado class in Batangas.</figcaption></figure></div><p>What a relief to learn that in the last ten years, rehabilitation of the Basilica and the ancestral houses is being carried out. This makes Taal a must-see, especially for its history and sites for religious pilgrimage like the Basilica and the nearby Our Lady of Caysasay Shrine, known for its well of miraculous water.</p><div class="embed-wrap"><figure data-feedback="fb:likes,fb:comments"><img src="http://sa.kapamilya.com/absnews/abscbnnews/media/ancx/food-n-drink/2019/10/3taal.jpg"/><figcaption>A classic Taal dish, the Adobo sa Dilaw.</figcaption></figure></div><div class="embed-wrap"><figure data-feedback="fb:likes,fb:comments"><img src="http://sa.kapamilya.com/absnews/abscbnnews/media/ancx/food-n-drink/2019/10/4taal.jpg"/><figcaption>A simple dessert of bandi, caramelized peanuts and brown sugar.</figcaption></figure></div><p>The great story is how Taaleños are returning to revitalize their ancestral homes, restoring them to their old glory. A prime example is the ancestral home of the Villavicencios, a gift from Don Eulalio Villavicencio to his wife, Doña Gliceria Marella y Legaspi, who had been active in the revolution. This restored mansion features antique tiles (some broken tiles have been replaced by copies), waxed and gleaming wooden planks for the flooring, hand-painted walls and carved door frames that showcase the artistry of local craftsmen. On display are the house treasures of ornate silver.</p><div class="embed-wrap"><figure data-feedback="fb:likes,fb:comments"><img src="http://sa.kapamilya.com/absnews/abscbnnews/media/ancx/food-n-drink/2019/10/5taal.jpg"/><figcaption>The sitting room is an example of how the Gocos have kept intact the cozy feel of a family home in spite of antique furnishings.</figcaption></figure></div><div> </div><h3>Sweet, familiar memories</h3><p>Even with all these changes taking place, the food remains the same. From my many visits to Taal, I have come to expect the dishes that first introduced me to Taal’s cuisine. This happened at the home of my first guide, Dindo Montenegro, and many of the ingredients that made up the hometown dishes were cooked in the old wood-burning stove. I remember how the late Ka Ely, Dindo’s mother, slow-cooked bulanglang using vegetables gathered from her backyard. The muslo or maliputo (jack), a prized fish from Taal Lake, was prepared two ways: the part near the head was made into sinigang and the part near the tail was charcoal-broiled.</p><div class="embed-wrap"><figure data-feedback="fb:likes,fb:comments"><img src="http://sa.kapamilya.com/absnews/abscbnnews/media/ancx/food-n-drink/2019/10/7taal.jpg"/><figcaption>Taal suman with a pot of hot chocolate.</figcaption></figure></div><p>In the afternoon, Dindo brought me to the cockpit to taste the tinindag (pork barbecue). There were special skewers of pig ears, heart and spleen (pale), flavorful from sauce made red by achuete (annatto). The tinindag, perhaps the best of its kind in the country, can be bought daily at the market where the embers are never extinguished until late at night.</p><p>The town is also known for its panutsa—whole peanuts embedded in discs of hardened brown sugar. Its name can be confusing because, elsewhere in the country, panutsa or panocha refers to hardened brown sugar itself sold in half spheres.</p><div class="embed-wrap"><figure data-feedback="fb:likes,fb:comments"><img src="http://sa.kapamilya.com/absnews/abscbnnews/media/ancx/food-n-drink/2019/10/taal10.jpg"/><figcaption>The Goco day tour of Taal includes a visit to Jhun Estacio’s halo-halo with its unbelievably fine shaved ice.</figcaption></figure></div><div> </div><h3>An ancestral home reawakens</h3><p>Pio Goco worked in the United States for years before deciding to come home and reopen Goco House, the ancestral home built by his great grandparents Juan Cabrera Goco and Lorenza Deomampo. The house is distinctive for its rounded corners, where the capiz windows have rounded frames, perhaps the only one of its kind in the country.</p><div class="embed-wrap"><figure data-feedback="fb:likes,fb:comments"><img src="http://sa.kapamilya.com/absnews/abscbnnews/media/ancx/food-n-drink/2019/10/2taal.jpg"/><figcaption>An assortment of salads served by the family cook, Reggie Agoncillo.</figcaption></figure></div><p>Pio is creating a bed and breakfast space soon so guests can sleep over. Right now, he offers luncheon or dinner by appointment as part of a guided tour of Taal. On a usual day trip, he’ll take you to see the spectacular view of the sunset in his town as viewed from the Basilica tower, the grim but fascinating old cemetery meant only for the Spaniards, perhaps followed by a merienda of halo-halo with feathery shaved ice made by Taal resident Jhun Estacio.</p><p>At Goco House, the table is set the way it must have been in the days when such a residence required some formality at mealtimes, with heirloom plates, crystal and silverware. The crocheted tablecloths were made by Pio’s aunts, who he says used to take care of them during their summer vacations. Among the lunch dishes served us was the quintessential Taal adobo sa dilaw, chicken braised in turmeric. Like their preference for the yellowish adobo, the Taal version of tapa is different too, being made of pork instead of beef.</p><div class="embed-wrap"><figure data-feedback="fb:likes,fb:comments"><img src="http://sa.kapamilya.com/absnews/abscbnnews/media/ancx/food-n-drink/2019/10/9taal.jpg"/><figcaption>Taal-style tapa made with pork, not beef.</figcaption></figure></div><p>What a treat to taste once more the taghilaw, in which innards of pork (intestine, spleen, kidney, liver) with lean meat and brain are cooked like paksiw, boiled in vinegar, peppercorns and salt but are served dry. Pio named the soup sopas a la pobre perhaps because it was made of bulalo (beef shin) broth without the bone and its meat, but with misua (rice noodles) and speckled with malunggay (moringa) leaves. The third-generation family cook, Reggie Agoncillo, also has a way with salads and presented three versions to us, as well as two ways with kamias (bilimbi), a jam that Pio had us pair with cheese (perfect!), and a relish of pickled kamias which had just the right mix of sweet and sour and can be partnered with any fried fish.</p><div class="embed-wrap" style="text-align:center"><div class="embed-wrap"><figure data-feedback="fb:likes,fb:comments"><img src="http://sa.kapamilya.com/absnews/abscbnnews/media/ancx/food-n-drink/2019/10/8taaljpg.jpg"/><figcaption>Typical ilustrado-style dining in Taal includes simple homecooked meals served on fine china and silver, as in this Sopas a la Pobre.</figcaption></figure></div></div><p>The favored fish in Taal, and in Batangas in general, is tulingan (big-eyed mackerel). It’s cut like daing (butterflied) but the two sides are brought together, pressed salt, then laid on a bed of dried kamias, steamed in low fire until the sauce called patis is expressed. Cooking it this way is known as sinaing. Agoncillo says that you’ll recognize a true Batangueño if they serve this fish fried.</p><p>Like Pio, many Taaleños are now rebuilding their heritage. Lito Perez opened Villa Tortuga about 10 years ago to serve lunch, and make arrangements with local guides for a tour of the town. His main attraction is having guests pose in period costumes for their souvenir photos.</p><div> </div><p>Traditional tavern, heritage meals</p><div class="embed-wrap"><figure data-feedback="fb:likes,fb:comments"><img src="http://sa.kapamilya.com/absnews/abscbnnews/media/ancx/food-n-drink/2019/10/taal14.jpg"/><figcaption>Chef Giney Villar’s innovation is deep-fried crunchy eggplant that she serves with callos.</figcaption></figure></div><p>Chef Giney Villar closed her restaurant Adarna in Quezon City to open Feliza Taverna y Café, an old-style restaurant located in the former home of Feliza Diokno, once secretary to Emilio Aguinaldo. Many of the fixtures have been restored using original materials like bamboo, and employing Taal carpenters and craftsmen who know traditional methods. Villar also refurbished two bedrooms, making up her small B&amp;B.</p><div class="embed-wrap"><figure data-feedback="fb:likes,fb:comments"><img src="http://sa.kapamilya.com/absnews/abscbnnews/media/ancx/food-n-drink/2019/10/taal11.jpg"/><figcaption>At Feliza Taverna y Café the tables are set up in the style of 19th century colonial dining.</figcaption></figure></div><div class="embed-wrap"><figure data-feedback="fb:likes,fb:comments"><img src="http://sa.kapamilya.com/absnews/abscbnnews/media/ancx/food-n-drink/2019/10/taal13.jpg"/><figcaption>Chicken galantina served with salsa monja.</figcaption></figure></div><p>Giney’s version of the sinaing na tulingan deviates slightly from the traditional. She doesn’t press salt into the fish or butterfly-cut it, but keeps it whole with salt just added. Giney is known to travel around the country to learn the proper procedure for preparing heritage food. She presented other ways of serving her menu such as tapang baboy with a salad of greens and fruits, callos paired with fried eggplant in place of the berenjena (eggplant salad), and instead of gravy, the galantina (stuffed chicken) had salsa monja (Spanish sauce made of shallots, olives and torn bread pieces with olive oil) on the side.</p><div> </div><h3>Of suman, pancit and pan de coco</h3><p>Walking to the market the next morning, we saw tricycles parked near Vico’s Pancit, where the vehicles’ drivers were eating breakfast from cone-shaped paper containers lined with banana leaf. The pancit was wrapped in the style of the balisungsung or cone, easy to display and to hold when eating. Some people prefer to eat this pancit with chopsticks, but plastic forks are available, too. Owner Vangie Pasumbal is also known for her tamales, a rice concoction shaped into small squares and wrapped in banana leaves. It’s a local favorite, with tangy sauce and smooth rice paste, so that supply had run out by the time we arrived—luckily we got a tip that a stall inside the market still had some.</p><div class="embed-wrap"><figure data-feedback="fb:likes,fb:comments"><img src="http://sa.kapamilya.com/absnews/abscbnnews/media/ancx/food-n-drink/2019/10/taal16.jpg"/><figcaption>Sinaing sa tulingan cooking in a palayok.</figcaption></figure></div><p>We hurried over to find a few tamales pieces left, and a lot of suman malagkit (cylindrical rice cakes). These are the best suman in town, made with sticky rice of the sungsong variety mixed with a little ordinary rice, combining the right sweetness with a semi-soft consistency, so that one tends to eat more than a piece.</p><div class="embed-wrap"><figure data-feedback="fb:likes,fb:comments"><img src="http://sa.kapamilya.com/absnews/abscbnnews/media/ancx/food-n-drink/2019/10/taal17.jpg"/><figcaption>Chef Giney Villar demonstrating how to clean tulingan.</figcaption></figure></div><p>In a busy corner, empanada (turnovers) was being made—cooking the filling of chicken or pork or vegetables, stuffing the filling into the pastry, frying the finished empanada. Bong and Weng’s Empanada stall is also a carinderia offering cooked food and halo-halo for hungry locals and tourists alike. Weng inherited the empanada recipe from her father, added chicken and pork variety and tweaked the batter. The buyers are constant and her whole troupe also has to fill the orders for the day. The casing is firm but crisp and the filling has that well-cooked creamy chicken, beef, pork mixture.</p><div class="embed-wrap"><figure data-feedback="fb:likes,fb:comments"><img src="http://sa.kapamilya.com/absnews/abscbnnews/media/ancx/food-n-drink/2019/10/taal21.jpg"/><figcaption>Rowena Yebra, famous for her empanada.</figcaption></figure></div><p>We walked round the street corner to the old bakery I had visited on an earlier trip while researching about panaderia. There was no signage, but we were told to ask for Rosenie’s Bakery. The pan de sal this bakery is known for had run out so we tried buho, what they call pan de coco (bread with a sweetened coconut filling).</p><div class="embed-wrap"><figure data-feedback="fb:likes,fb:comments"><img src="http://sa.kapamilya.com/absnews/abscbnnews/media/ancx/food-n-drink/2019/10/taal22.jpg"/><figcaption>Pan de coco from Rosenie’s Bakery.</figcaption></figure></div><div class="embed-wrap" style="text-align:center"><div class="embed-wrap"><figure data-feedback="fb:likes,fb:comments"><img src="http://sa.kapamilya.com/absnews/abscbnnews/media/ancx/food-n-drink/2019/10/taal36.png"/><figcaption>Sticky sweet suman; the suman stall run by Marie.</figcaption></figure></div></div><p>We left Taal late that afternoon, satisfied that we had done our rounds of ancestral homes, finished our pilgrimage and blessed ourselves with holy water from the well, slept in comfort and eaten the best food the town has to offer. Still we wondered how special Independence Day would really be in Taal given its history. For sure, the flags will fly proudly—the flag of the Katipunan and the flag of the Republic that was designed and sewn by Taaleño Marcela Marino Agoncillo.</p><h3>Click on the image below for slideshow</h3><div class="media-content"><div class="slider-for"><div><img src="http://sa.kapamilya.com/absnews/abscbnnews/media/ancx/food-n-drink/2019/10/taal35.jpg"/></div><div><img src="http://sa.kapamilya.com/absnews/abscbnnews/media/ancx/food-n-drink/2019/10/taal32.jpg"/></div><div><img src="http://sa.kapamilya.com/absnews/abscbnnews/media/ancx/food-n-drink/2019/10/taal20_1.jpg"/></div><div><img src="http://sa.kapamilya.com/absnews/abscbnnews/media/ancx/food-n-drink/2019/10/taal31_1.jpg"/></div><div><img src="http://sa.kapamilya.com/absnews/abscbnnews/media/ancx/food-n-drink/2019/10/taal23_1.jpg"/></div><div><img src="http://sa.kapamilya.com/absnews/abscbnnews/media/ancx/food-n-drink/2019/10/taal24_1.jpg"/></div><div><img src="http://sa.kapamilya.com/absnews/abscbnnews/media/ancx/food-n-drink/2019/10/taal25_1.jpg"/></div><div><img src="http://sa.kapamilya.com/absnews/abscbnnews/media/ancx/food-n-drink/2019/10/taal26_1.jpg"/></div><div><img src="http://sa.kapamilya.com/absnews/abscbnnews/media/ancx/food-n-drink/2019/10/taal27_1.jpg"/></div><div><img src="http://sa.kapamilya.com/absnews/abscbnnews/media/ancx/food-n-drink/2019/10/taal30_1.jpg"/></div><div><img src="http://sa.kapamilya.com/absnews/abscbnnews/media/ancx/food-n-drink/2019/10/taal33.jpg"/></div></div><div class="media-content slider-desc"><div class="item-desc"><p>Taal Taghilaw </p></div><div class="item-desc"><p>Paradores del Castillo, perhaps the most luxurious of the many bedand- breakfasts in town. Exquisitely restored with antique furnishings and with gardens shaded by fruit trees overlooking the neighboring town of Lemery and Balayan Bay, it’s an experience in itself. </p></div><div class="item-desc"><p>(L-R) The second floor function room at Feliza Taverna y Café; One of the interesting pieces in this quaint bed and breakfast. </p></div><div class="item-desc"><p>The reddish native barbecue called tinindag. </p></div><div class="item-desc"><p>A glimpse of the master’s bedroom at Villavicencio House. </p></div><div class="item-desc"><p>The shrine of Our Lady of Caysasay. </p></div><div class="item-desc"><p>Tamales </p></div><div class="item-desc"><p>Flags draped from Agoncillo House in honor of Independence Day. </p></div><div class="item-desc"><p>Pancit wrapped in paper and banana leaves, eaten with chopsticks. </p></div><div class="item-desc"><p>Vangie Pasumbal sells pancit and tamales only from 4 to 9 AM daily. </p></div><div class="item-desc"><p>Taalstyle empanada is rich and hefty. </p></div></div></div><div> </div><address>Goco Ancestral House</address><address>Marella corner Del Castillo Streets, Taal, Batangas</address><address>(0917) 373-7346</address><address>Facebook: Goco-Ancestral-House</address><address> </address><address>Feliza Taverna y Café</address><address>6 Calle Felipe Agoncillo, Barangay Poblacion, Taal, Batangas</address><address>(043) 740-0113</address><address> </address><address>Bong and Weng’s Empanada</address><address>Taal Public Market, (0915) 778-5825</address><address> </address><address>Vico’s Pancit</address><address>39 A. de las Alas Street beside Taal Public Market,</address><address>(0908) 210-1502</address><address>Open from 4 AM to 9 AM</address><address> </address><address>Villa Tortuga</address><address>Taal, Batangas, (0927) 975-1682</address><address>lito_pperez@yahoo.com</address><address> </address><address>Villavincencio Wedding Gift House 32 Casa Gliceria Marella, Taal</address><address>(0920) 777-6271</address><address> </address><address>Nimfa, Marie &amp; Lestie Special Suman</address><address>Stall 289, Taal Public Market</address><address>(0920) 777-6271</address><address> </address><div><em>Photographs by Pia Puno</em></div><div><em>This article originally appeared on Food Magazine Issue 3 2015.</em></div>

<p>Taaleños far from their hometown are coming back to their roots, reopening heritage homes for a glimpse of history and a revisit of the community’s unique cuisine and culture.</p>

Taaleños far from their hometown are coming back to their roots, reopening heritage homes for a glimpse of history and a revisit of the community’s unique cuisine and culture.