Photo of Beef stew by Bufflinghead
The Culinary Adventures of Batangas
Batangas in the Philippines is a very culturally diverse province. This is why you can find a range of different foods, including some very weird ones. It’s a shame that most tourists don’t know about the diverse cuisine considering the fact that the province is a popular destination for tourists because of its white-sand beaches. Make the most out of your next trip to this province by trying these weird but delicious foods in Batangas, Philippines.
Batangas Goto
Goto is a hearty dish of beef innards and one of the weird foods in Batangas. Yes, you read it right – beef innards. It’s actually a stew. This is what makes the Batangas goto different from the goto of Manila and other provinces. While the goto outside of Batangas is basically a rice porridge topped with beef innards, Batangas goto is beef innards in a hearty soup which is left simmering for hours.
You can have it served with rice. In fact, it’s highly recommended that you eat it with rice. Ask for some chopped onions as well and mix the chopped onions with the goto. Prepare a dipping sauce composed of fish sauce, calamansi (a local lime) and several fingers of chili and you’re good to go! Spoon some of the stew over the rice together with the dipping sauce and you have one of the weird foods of Batangas! Make sure to take a sip of the liquid every now and then. Don’t worry, you can always ask for extra.
Lomi
Lomi is one of the weird foods in Batangas Philippines. It is a Chinese dish, but people from Batangas, especially Lipa, have made it their own. It’s actually a noodle dish with a very thick and rich broth. The toppings vary, but you can expect chicken liver, meatballs, maybe even quail eggs. It’s a very filling dish and is a favorite any time of the day. In fact, there are several lomi houses that are open 24/7.
Suman
Think sticky rice wrapped in leaves because that’s what it is. The consistency is weird but once you’ve gotten over the weird consistency, you’ll be sure to enjoy it!
Batangas Coffee
What’s so weird about coffee? Well, it’s actually the way a lot of people from Batangas consume it. Would you believe that they pour coffee over rice? If there’s no soup around, they just prepare Barako (a local variation of coffee) and just pour it over rice. It’s perfect for breakfast as it tastes amazing with fried rice. In fact, it’s one of the better tasting weird foods in Batangas Philippines.
Isaw
This is actually not exclusively one of the weird foods of Batangas, but you have to try the isaw at the Lipa City night market. Enjoy tasting different weird but delicious foods in this night market, which is perfect as you stuff yourself silly before calling it a night and leaving for your Virgin Beach Resort or any of the different Laiya beach resorts in the morning.
Bulalo
Think of beef bone marrow and shank boiled for hours and you have bulalo. This is a very hearty dish that’s not for the health-conscious. But hey, you’re on vacation! Order one big bowl for the whole group and enjoy lunch!
There you have it! Enjoy these weird foods in Batangas Philippines and you’ll enjoy your trip even more! Click here for more unique places in the Philippines.
Author Bio: Jayzar Recinto is proud to be from Batangas! He particularly loves the different Laiya beach resorts and the food that the province offers!
I love the hot spicey foods of this region.
Interesting blog.
An interesting share, I just given this to one of my friends who is going here in the summer. THumbs up!