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Kinulob na chicken served at the house of Jane Devanadera during the Bulihan Festival. Totel de Jesus

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Totel V. De Jesus

<div><img src="https://od2-image-api.abs-cbn.com/prod/editorImage/1781396364474Kinulob na chicken is going, going, gone, gone. This was served at the house of Jane Devanadera during the Bulihan Festival. Photo by Totel de Jesus.jpg" style="width:960px" class="fr-fic fr-dib" width="960"/>Kinulob na chicken is going, going, gone, gone. This was served at the house of Jane Devanadera during the Bulihan Festival. Totel de Jesus</div>SAMPALOC, Quezon — Every town and city have their own unique cuisine, or at least, over the years, have become identified with them.If you’re new to that place, your travel experience won’t be complete for an Instagram or Facebook flex post so you’d ask around for the one that is considered a “must-serve” or a “must-taste” on the dining table — from pinikpikan in Sagada, Tabuk and Baguio City to authentic chicken inasal in Bacolod.In the uphill town of Sampaloc in Quezon province, it’s the “kinulob” na chicken, carabeef, pork, mudfish, tilapia and other fishes.In culinary terms, “kinulob” loosely translates to a dish slow-cooked in a tightly covered, airtight pot, allowing the ingredients to cook in their own steam and juices.The root word of “kinulob” in Filipino is “kulob,” which means “to produce higher temperature by covering the boiler with airtight lid.”The main ingredient of kinulob is turmeric powder or “dinikdik na luyang dilaw.” As we all know, among the health benefits of turmeric is helping in preventing gout attacks.  We can say kinulob is basically a healthy dish. Of course, eating the right meal with moderate servings still matters.Much like adobo — but without the soy sauce and with plenty of turmeric instead  — kinulob uses a familiar base of diced garlic, onions, and vinegar. That’s why, some call it “adobo sa dilaw”. But that could be a disservice to adobo and kinulob.Long-time residents of Sampaloc we spoke to would humbly not take credit for originating the dish because according to them, even some provinces in the Calabarzon region, like Batangas and Laguna, serve their versions of kinulob.One is in Victoria, Laguna, where “kinulob na itik” is famously promoted. They have restaurants that offer the dish as a must-try on their menu. In Mabini, Batangas, they have their own Kinulob Festival being celebrated every April. Their choice of meat is chicken.The difference, we initially assume, is the way they are cooked and the ingredients. The Sampalukins mostly stick to the basic — garlic, onions, vinegar and turmeric.<div><img src="https://od2-image-api.abs-cbn.com/prod/editorImage/1781396327337Kinulob carabeef and pork. Photo from Tourism Sampaloc, Quezon Facebook page.JPG" style="width:960px" class="fr-fic fr-dib" width="960"/>Kinulob carabeef and pork. Photo from Tourism Sampaloc, Quezon Facebook page</div>Though the Sampalukins have chicken kinulob, most households also offer kinulob pork, beef, carabeef and sometimes, goat.  Since Sampaloc is surrounded by freshwater rivers, kinulob na dalag (mudfish) and hito (catfish) are also common.The Sampalukins have their own way of cooking since they are meant to last for days, even weeks without being preserved inside a refrigerator.The reason is because kinulob has become one of their comfort foods long before electricity was made accessible in the whole town.“Ang kinulob po kasi noong unang panahon, dahil mga walang refrigerator ay ikinukulob ang karne para lang hindi masira. (Kinulob in the olden days, when there were no refrigerators yet, was a way of preserving meat),” Emerson Daya Huwan Kuruntong, public information officer of Sampaloc, told ABS-CBN News.  “Dati po kasi ay walang kuryente, kaya kapag nagkaroon ng okasyon, kagaya ng kasalan, binyagan, libing, pyesta o Pasko at nagkatay ng kalabaw o baboy, para mapreserved ang karne. Iniluluto ito sa malaking kawa, maraming bawang, luyang dilaw o paminton at suka.  Malalaki ang chunks ng karne,” he said.(Since there’s no electricity and there were special occasions like weddings, baptismal celebrations, wakes, festivals or even during Christmas season and there’s carabeef or pork, [the kinulob way of cooking] was used to preserve the meat. Big chunks of meat. They were cooked in a large metal pot, with lots of garlic, turmeric powder and vinegar.)He clarified that though they take pride in having one of the best versions of kinulob, they won’t take credit of originating the dish.“Mahirap pong i-claim na sa Sampaloc nagsimula, dahil sa ibang bayan din sa Laguna ay nagluluto rin ng kinulob na itik at pato. May kanya kanya lang paraan ng pagluluto. (It’s hard to claim ‘kinulob’ originated from Sampaloc since in other towns in Laguna, they use duck meat for their versions of kinulob and their own ways of cooking),” he added.  Even in Quezon, there are other towns with their own versions of the said dish.Kuruntong said since Sampaloc was also once a barangay of the nearby town of Lucban, it won’t be surprising the Lucbanins have their own too.Some Lucbanins would actually add chopped bamboo shoots in their kinulob dishes.  But since Lucban is a famous heritage town known for its Pahiyas Festival in May, their kinulob is overshadowed by pancit habhab (stir-fried homegrown noodles with chopped vegetables served on banana leaves), kiping (colored leaf-shaped rice-flour wafer) and its equally famous version of longganisa.  <div><img src="https://od2-image-api.abs-cbn.com/prod/editorImage/1781396435335Cook and carinderia owner Lydia Oblena waits for customers on a normal day. Photo by Totel de Jesus.jpg" style="width:960px" class="fr-fic fr-dib" width="960"/>Cook and carinderia owner Lydia Oblena waits for customers on a normal day. Totel de Jesus</div><div><img src="https://od2-image-api.abs-cbn.com/prod/editorImage/1781396253694Lydia Abejar is an expert when it comes to cooking kinulob and other Quezonian dishes. Photo by Totel de Jesus.jpg" style="width:960px" class="fr-fic fr-dib" width="960"/>Lydia Abejar is an expert when it comes to cooking kinulob and other Quezonian dishes. Totel de Jesus</div>The first time I tasted kinulob dish was in December last year when it was served for dinner during the four-day Sine Sampaloc Film Festival. It was a kinulob na isda and I remember it has this sour-salty taste but without the fishy aftertaste. It was perfect viand with boiled white rice. As we say in Filipino, “taob ang kaldero.”The second time was in Lydia’s Lugawan, a carinderia in front of the public market and near the jeepney station for those plying the Sampaloc-Lucban route.It may have “lugawan” (Pinoy congee) in its name but it also serves other viands.It is owned by Lydia Oblena, a long-time native resident of Sampaloc. She has an assistant named Lydia Abejar. I checked the set of viands they cooked for lunch and they have “kinulob na manok”.Aling Lydia Abejar indulged me for a casual interview with regards cooking kinulob. She happily told me specific instructions on using the right brand of vinegar, the right time to stir the pot after putting the vinegar, the waiting period and all that. <div><img src="https://od2-image-api.abs-cbn.com/prod/editorImage/1781396290597Udi &amp; Tina Lugawan. Photo courtesy of Emerson Daya Huwan Kuruntong.jpg" style="width:960px" class="fr-fic fr-dib" width="960"/>Udi &amp; Tina&#x27;s Lugawan is another carinderia in Sampaloc town proper that serves kinulob. Photo courtesy of Emerson Daya Huwan Kuruntong</div>On another visit a few weeks later, there was Aling Lydia Oblena waiting for someone to pick up the “kinulob na manok” she cooked earlier in the morning. It was a special take-out order. She told me she is usually awake before daybreak, usually around 4 a.m., to start her cooking. Since they are just in front of the public market, they get the fresh meat and fishes.She seemed to be waiting in vain so I told her I’d buy some of the “kinulob na manok” placed in microwaveable tubs for take-out. From Quezon City, I was on my way home to another town in Quezon, one of those seaside municipalities facing Tayabas Bay where eight-hour brownouts have become a weekly occurrence so I thought, I might need the kinulob for a few days.True enough, the kinulob didn’t spoil and actually tasted better despite not being placed in a refrigerator for two days. Not because there was a power outage. I finished two tubs in two days because it’s one of the perfect “ulam” for boiled white rice.Kuruntong also gave us some tips on cooking “kinulob na kalabaw.” He told us, ideally, the chunks of meats should be bigger.“Kung ito man ay karneng kalabaw o baboy, malalaking chunks po. Minsan ay pinagsasama ang karneng baboy at kalabaw. Maraming suka para hindi masira. At sumasarap pa ang lasa ng karneng kalabaw kung may kahalong karneng baboy,” he said.(If you’re using carabeef or pork, use big chunks. A combination of pork and carabeef is also highly recommended. Just use lots of venigar so they won’t get easily spoiled. More than often, carabeef gets more delicious if combined with pork.)<div><iframe src="https://www.facebook.com/plugins/video.php?height=476&amp;href=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.facebook.com%2Freel%2F747757464955129%2F&amp;show_text=true&amp;width=267&amp;t=0" width="267" height="591" style="border:none;overflow:hidden" scrolling="no" frameBorder="0" allowfullscreen=""></iframe></div>We learned the town has its own Kinulob Festival that started five years ago during the time of former Mayor Gelo Devanadera.“Dahil po sa kanyang asawa, kay Ma&#x27;am Joy. Minsan may nangyaring okasyon. Sinabi nya kay Mayor na ihain yung kinulob sa mga bisita. Ang sagot po sa kanya ni mayor: ‘Joy hindi yan inihahain, kinulob ‘yan, ‘di ‘yan panghain sa bisita. Ang sagot po sa kanya ay &quot;Huh, eh &#x27;yan ang masarap eh,” said Kuruntong.(Because of the former Mayor’s wife, Ma’am Joy. One time, there was an occasion. She told then Mayor Gelo to serve the kinulob to their guests. The former Mayor told her not to because it’s kinulob, it’s not meant to be served to guests. She answered him, why not, they’re delicious meals.)“Tama yan 😂 dahil kay Joy ‘yung kinulob festival. Siya talaga nag insist na dapat ipagmalaki ung kinulob,” Devanadera, with laugh emoji, confirmed to ABS-CBN News via Facebook messenger.(That is right. Because of my wife Joy, there’s Kinulob Festival. She was the one who insisted that we should be proud of it.)“For the longest time, nahihiya kami i-hain ‘yun kase hindi pang bisita. Pero si Joy mismo ‘nagsabi masarap yan, patikim mo sa mga tao’. Then to establish the dish, we decided to make a festival around it para lalo pa ma-aangat namin yung very Sampaloc local dish,” he added.The visitors loved the kinulob and a festival was born. The Kinulob Festival, now on its fifth year, is scheduled end of October.I am not an expert when it comes to food. I am far from being called a “food writer,” just a casual passerby who loves to try new dishes. From my honest observation, the Sampalukins’ homestyle cooking of kinulob and sticking to the basic ingredients make the difference. No extenders, neither artificial flavors nor added vegetables that may alter the original taste of the sauteed meat or fish.There’s the right timing when to add the ingredients, proper time to stir the pot, the medium heat needed. It’s a Sampalukin tradition perfected by the older generations and carinderia cooks are the ones who do it almost every day, getting feedbacks from customers until they get what satisfies them. It’s both art and science of cooking we may never learn in any expensive culinary school.The late, great chef, book author and documentarist Anthony Bourdain, who championed the homestyle cooking of the common folks, once said, “Good food is very often, even most often, simple food” and good eating “has always been an adventure” in itself.The Sampalukins’ varieties of kinulob easily come to mind, rather, stomach.

In culinary terms, “kinulob” loosely translates to a dish slow-cooked in a tightly covered, airtight pot, allowing the ingredients to cook in their own steam and juices.

In culinary terms, “kinulob” loosely translates to a dish slow-cooked in a tightly covered, airtight pot, allowing the ingredients to cook in their own steam and juices.

Kinulob, the Sampalukin dish that lasts for days even outside a refrigerator

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Kinulob, the Sampalukin dish that lasts for days even outside a refrigerator

Totel V. De Jesus

Published June 14, 2026 10:00 AM PHT

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Updated June 14, 2026 10:01 AM PHT

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Filipino food

Sampaloc Quezon

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