‘ANG hindi marunong lumingon sa kanyang pinanggalingan ay masahol pa sa hayop at malansang isda.” This most quoted line of Dr. Jose Rizal reminds Filipinos to remember the past and be thankful for what the country has gained from it—freedom, peace and justice. In Bulacan Rizal’s quotation seems to be alive and living in the hearts of Bulakeños.
During a recent gastronomic adventure, dubbed as the “Victory Liner Inc. Media Appreciation Food Tour 2014,” I witnessed the incredible treasures preserved in Bulacan. The province occupies a unique place in the country’s history. It is often referred to as the land of heroes, since many of our national heroes were born there, like Marcelo H. del Pilar, the father of Philippine journalism; Gregorio del Pilar, the youngest revolutionary general of the Republic; Mariano Ponce, one of the founders of La Solidaridad; and many more. From past and up to the present, Bulakeños have valued and maintained their culture. As we explored Bulacan and its history, we were also given a chance to appreciate a bit of art and taste some authentic Bulakeño dishes.
During the first part of the tour, we were shown how the Bulacan pabalat is made. The pabalat is an intricately cutpaper, which features detailed, colorful patterns that are used to wrap pastillas or candies made from carabao’s milk.
We met 92-year-old Nanay Luz Ocampo, who is said to be the last craftswoman of pastillas paper wrappers in Malolos, Bulacan. Because of her age, she was no longer able to demonstrate her skills. Fortunately, Ate Naty, Nanay Luz’s 56-year-old daughter, was around to do so. The process is considered a vanishing art.
First, Ate Naty traced a design or pattern on Japanese paper, or papel de hapon. The design was then painstakingly cut. It really needs a lot of patience to accomplish this part and it took her about 30 minutes to finish one design. When I tried to do it, it took me twice that time.
According to Ate Naty, Nanay Luz learned the art at the age of 12 in her hometown of San Miguel, where pastillas de leche originated from. She honed her craft in school, where it was then part of the curriculum. Today it is no longer taught in school. Ate Naty said her mother was very determined to share her knowledge just to keep the pabalat alive for the next generation. So she teaches students, but, unfortunately, some lose patience and interest in making pastillas wrapper because it takes a lot of time and effort. Despite that, Nanay Luz and Ate Naty are bent on preserving this traditional art. They said that it’s a part of their past, which they truly have embraced, while hoping that everyone else will, too.
On the second part of our journey, we actually sampled dishes from the well-known heritage cuisine in the Bistro Maloleño events place and restaurant. Bistro Maloleño is a casual-dining restaurant, which is quite similar to a museum. The establishment’s interior seems to transport you back to olden times as the décor shows the simplistic beauty of the past, which serves as an attraction unto itself. Of course, the food served in the restaurant is also a veritable drawer of those who are searching for a culinary experience like no other.
The dishes served by the Bistro have interesting stories and are named after Filipino national heroes. One of its bestsellers is the Pochero ni Plaridel—an enticing dish made up of beef with the sweetness of the saging na saba. Its other ingredients are petchay, repolyo, camote and sitaw. It also has a bit of chorizo de Bilbao. The pochero was the favorite dish of Marcelo H. del Pilar. Another is the tinolang manok ni Rizal, which is chicken soup with green papaya wedges and chili pepper leaves (dahon ng sili). The story goes that, when Rizal was exiled to Dapitan, he learned how to cook this dish, which became his favorite.
The menu also features fare such as Nilagang Manok na Puti na may Asparagus ni Aguinaldo; Arroz a là Cubana ni Heneral Gregorio; Nilitsong Manok sa Saha ni Bonifacio; and Tempura ni Mariano Ponce.
Story & photos by Ame Crace E. Esquelona