Budbud Kabog. I knew nothing about the origin
of Budbud kabog, but one thing for sure my grandmother on my mother’s side “Lola”
Pilar Lozano Loyola - Nuneza used to cook budbud kabog every time during town
fiesta, family gatherings, and special occasions. She served these with many
other delicacies and the out-of-town visitors will have an extra share as
pabaon, a special reminder of my grandmother’s wit in cooking budbud kabog. My
father’s side grandmother Lola Poning Jorquia – Adlawan (a retired school teacher)
also sell kabog by kilo as her past time routine together with other native
products. I grew up not minding this delicacy, as a child I have other
priorities, just like any other ordinary kids, food is not the first in line.
Many different stories regarding how “budbud” kabog was discovered, but nobody can prove the authenticity of their story, all but hearsays, legend as they call it. How “budbud” kabog came into being and who first discovered it as a delicious delicacy, are buried in the pages of undocumented history and will forever be called a legend. Regardless of whether one of these stories is true or not at all, Budbud kabog when cooked right is just simply delicious; but let me share with you one of these folklore, as follows:
Long time ago, Kabog plant (a small-seeded cereal plant known as millet) grew wild and is abundant in the mountain barangays of Catmon. All the while the natives considered the plant as nuisance, hence, they freed the land area they wanted to cultivate from kabog and planted it with corn, camote, peanuts, and a lot more as a means of livelihood.
One day, a farmer took a rest after eating lunch inside a cave to shelter himself from the heat of the sun. While inside the cave he sat on the floor and noticed some yellow seeds scattered all over the cave’s floor. He gathered some seeds and realized that those were the same seeds of the plants they uprooted to give way for the plantation of corn and other crops. At that point, he asked himself – if the bats liked to eat the seeds to sustain their existence then, it must be safe and good for human consumption as well.
So he brought some seeds back home, he peeled the seeds using his mortar and pestle and told his wife to cook it. For fear of poison his wife added some sugar as a cure and after several minutes a smell of cooked millet got their attention. They hurriedly opened the pot and put it on top of a banana leaves to cool down (people back then usually uses banana leaves as their plates or food wrapper, even now a days some still practices the same – the aroma is just irresistible).
Not sure on what to do, he gave a small portion to his pet lizard first thinking that it might be poisonous and after a while the lizard was still fine. Still not contented, he gave his dog a moderate amount, the dog seems to like it and was barking and wagging his tail for more.
So the farmer tried it himself and took a bite and to his surprise it taste heavenly good that he and his wife were so happy they celebrated that night. They named the seeds KABOG after the name of the bats found in the cave.
Many variations of cooking kabog have been observed, and some cooked their seeds combined with sugar and coconut milk and wrapped with banana leaves, which is now popularly known as BUDBUD KABOG.
/delicacies.html
Many different stories regarding how “budbud” kabog was discovered, but nobody can prove the authenticity of their story, all but hearsays, legend as they call it. How “budbud” kabog came into being and who first discovered it as a delicious delicacy, are buried in the pages of undocumented history and will forever be called a legend. Regardless of whether one of these stories is true or not at all, Budbud kabog when cooked right is just simply delicious; but let me share with you one of these folklore, as follows:
Long time ago, Kabog plant (a small-seeded cereal plant known as millet) grew wild and is abundant in the mountain barangays of Catmon. All the while the natives considered the plant as nuisance, hence, they freed the land area they wanted to cultivate from kabog and planted it with corn, camote, peanuts, and a lot more as a means of livelihood.
One day, a farmer took a rest after eating lunch inside a cave to shelter himself from the heat of the sun. While inside the cave he sat on the floor and noticed some yellow seeds scattered all over the cave’s floor. He gathered some seeds and realized that those were the same seeds of the plants they uprooted to give way for the plantation of corn and other crops. At that point, he asked himself – if the bats liked to eat the seeds to sustain their existence then, it must be safe and good for human consumption as well.
So he brought some seeds back home, he peeled the seeds using his mortar and pestle and told his wife to cook it. For fear of poison his wife added some sugar as a cure and after several minutes a smell of cooked millet got their attention. They hurriedly opened the pot and put it on top of a banana leaves to cool down (people back then usually uses banana leaves as their plates or food wrapper, even now a days some still practices the same – the aroma is just irresistible).
Not sure on what to do, he gave a small portion to his pet lizard first thinking that it might be poisonous and after a while the lizard was still fine. Still not contented, he gave his dog a moderate amount, the dog seems to like it and was barking and wagging his tail for more.
So the farmer tried it himself and took a bite and to his surprise it taste heavenly good that he and his wife were so happy they celebrated that night. They named the seeds KABOG after the name of the bats found in the cave.
Many variations of cooking kabog have been observed, and some cooked their seeds combined with sugar and coconut milk and wrapped with banana leaves, which is now popularly known as BUDBUD KABOG.
/delicacies.html
Tuba
For most Catmonanon, drinking is an important part of their culture. This is their favorite past time after day’s hard work, a vital part in every gatherings and special occasions. It is a symbol of sociality; it lubricates social relations, encourages the prized values of talk and verbal wit, and promotes good rapport through singing and dancing. Some even enjoyed good time sharing their individual talent rendering old and self-made poems, story telling and cracking jokes.
Tuba was the most popular drink back then. It is the fermented sap of coconut palm, usually colored red by mixing crushed tungog (tan bark) or of the lawaan tree. (Tuba is commonly extracted from the coconut but nipa, buri, and other kinds of palm may also be the source). Lina is a pure, the freshest and the sweetish sap (no tungog added). Bahal is a day-old sap (with tungog), bitter and sour to taste.
/tradition.html
Tuba, or coconut sap is extracted from a spadix, or the tender, unopened part of a coconut floral branch. The tuba gatherer has to climb up a coconut tree, wrap abaca or rattan strip along the length of the selected branch.
The wrapped branch is then tapped with a hardwood mallet so as to carefully bruise and rapture the tender tissues of the floral branch, which is then gradually bent downward. The tip is tied down with abaca string to a nearby leaf branch.
The bending procedure is repeated daily for one to two weeks until the floral branch droops. When the branch is drooping halfway down, the tip is cut open with a sharp knife.
After three days, sap starts dripping from the branch, and is collected in a bamboo segment or plastic container fastened to the branch. The daily slicing of the tip of the branch allows the sap to flow continuously.
The mouth of the bamboo or plastic receptacle is covered with a piece of fibrous net of light brown stalks locally called “guinit”. This keeps out the rainwater, insects, mice and lizards.
The tuba gatherer transfers the sap collected in the bamboo segment to a longer bamboo segment which hangs from his back as he climbs up and down the trees.
Tuba was the most popular drink back then. It is the fermented sap of coconut palm, usually colored red by mixing crushed tungog (tan bark) or of the lawaan tree. (Tuba is commonly extracted from the coconut but nipa, buri, and other kinds of palm may also be the source). Lina is a pure, the freshest and the sweetish sap (no tungog added). Bahal is a day-old sap (with tungog), bitter and sour to taste.
/tradition.html
Tuba, or coconut sap is extracted from a spadix, or the tender, unopened part of a coconut floral branch. The tuba gatherer has to climb up a coconut tree, wrap abaca or rattan strip along the length of the selected branch.
The wrapped branch is then tapped with a hardwood mallet so as to carefully bruise and rapture the tender tissues of the floral branch, which is then gradually bent downward. The tip is tied down with abaca string to a nearby leaf branch.
The bending procedure is repeated daily for one to two weeks until the floral branch droops. When the branch is drooping halfway down, the tip is cut open with a sharp knife.
After three days, sap starts dripping from the branch, and is collected in a bamboo segment or plastic container fastened to the branch. The daily slicing of the tip of the branch allows the sap to flow continuously.
The mouth of the bamboo or plastic receptacle is covered with a piece of fibrous net of light brown stalks locally called “guinit”. This keeps out the rainwater, insects, mice and lizards.
The tuba gatherer transfers the sap collected in the bamboo segment to a longer bamboo segment which hangs from his back as he climbs up and down the trees.