There are sure lots of best things to do in Batangas. One of these is having a taste of Batangas food and delicacies. Being a coastal province harboring rivers and lakes, Batangas boasts for its copious harvest of fresh seafood and freshwater fishes along with the production of Batangas beef of high quality.
If you are a food junkie who is looking for a one-of-a-kind gastronomic adventure, then hop on and satiate your hunger as we discover the specialty of Batangueños.
15 Batangas Food that are Definitely Worth a Try!
Beyond the world-class diving spots, pristine beach resorts, and breathtaking panoramic sceneries is a taste bud culture of Batangas that is underrated. Here are 15 Batangas food delicacies that will surely make you say “Kasarap Nare!” (“Delicious” in the Batangan dialect).
1. Bulalo
Bulalo is a Batangas food that you should never miss!
The Bulalo or Beef Shank Soup is the signature food of Batangueños. With the cool climate that Batangas has because it is a province situated in an elevated plateau, this broth is perfect to warm your soul.
Primarily, Batangas Bulalo has the easiest recipe among the other bulalo versions because it only has the basic ingredients of beef shanks and vegetables such as cabbage and bok choy that are boiled in water along with onion, garlic, black pepper, and salt to taste. You can also have potatoes and corn to add more flavor into the broth.
The recipe may seem very simple, but the taste is definitely heavenly. Bulalo is best served with fish sauce and a hot-steamed rice.
Well, the secret behind bulalo’s delectable taste lies on how the meat is boiled and tenderized. The best bulalo meat you could ever have is when it falls off the bone effortlessly, especially when you sip the marrow at the center of the bone. Finally, the slow dance of ingredients on fire will bring forth the best bulalo in town. Just a tip, Bulalo Point is the perfect restaurant that will satisfy your bulalo cravings.
2. Batangas Lomi
As the famous adage goes that noodles give long life because of the unending length of the noodles. It is almost always present in any celebrations in the Philippines. There are myriad of noodle recipes you can try such as Pancit Canton, Pancit Palabok, Bihon, Lomi, and the like. In Batangas, Lomi is a superb dish, so this is a must-try food when you get there.
What sets Batangas Lomi apart from the other noodle recipes nationwide is its rich, thick, tender, and sticky egg noodles and flavorful broth. To add more flavor in this famous Batangas food, you can include onion leeks, chopped scallions, cabbage, boiled egg, chicken meat, chicharron, pork liver, and squid balls as your toppings.
Lomi is, then, best served with a saucer of soy sauce with green calamondin and chili pepper.
3. Gotong Batangas
This sumptuous dish traces its roots from Lipa, which is one of the cities in Batangas. What sets Gotong Batangas from other Goto recipes apart is the inclusion of beef innards such as tendon, heart, liver, and beef shanks. Basically, its main ingredient is beef tripe.
Unlike in the usual goto recipe, Gotong Batangas has lots of garlic and ginger which make its aroma and taste even stronger. The bright orange tint is also present in Gotong Batangas because of the annatto powder added in the dish. Furthermore, Gotong Batangas does not contain rice as part of its ingredients.
Grab a taste of this warm hearty meal when you travel to Batangas soon.
4. Taghilaw
Although the English translation of the dish is “raw”, do not fret because this Batangas food is a well-cooked meal. Similar with Gotong Batangas, this dish has pork innards such as kidney, liver, spleen, and intestine as its main ingredients. Afterward, these innards will be sautéed in onions, garlic, vinegar, pepper, and chili.
In addition, this Filipino stew tastes so meaty and sour. This is perfect to pair with a hot-steamed rice.
5. Adobong Dilaw
Are you familiar with turmeric?
It is an herb that is responsible for curry recipes to have yellow in color. According to health experts, turmeric has medicinal compounds that are good for the health. These are curcuminoids. One of these curcuminoids is the curcumin, which is an active ingredient of the turmeric. It is known to be a great antioxidant and an effective anti-inflammatory agent.
Well, this herb is common in Batangas dishes primarily in Adobong Dilaw. They call turmeric as the “luyang dilaw” (yellow ginger) because it gives off a yellow tint when mixed.
If you want to try Adobong Dilaw, you may want to visit Taal and Lemery since this dish is very prominent there.
If you are curious whether this dish is cooked just like the ordinary adobo dish, then it surely is except that you use turmeric instead of soy sauce.
What are you waiting for?
Pack your bags and travel to Batangas and have a taste of this unique, flavorful and nutritious dish of the province.
6. Tinapa
This Batangas food is salty to the taste because the tinapa is a natural saltwater fish. What gives its saltwater component very tasty is the smoking process it undergoes in order to prolong its shelf life. Therefore, tinapa is a smoked fish and it is very famous in the town of Lemery, Batangas. Every 14th of May, the town of Lemery celebrates the Tinapa Festival.
If you are planning to buy a pack and take it home as your pasalubong, do not forget to wrap it well in a newspaper, so it won’t give off a pungent smell as you travel back to Manila.
On the other hand, fried rice and egg are the best pairs when you eat tinapa in the morning as your breakfast. Oh, do not forget to use vinegar with chili as your condiment in your tinapa meal. You will definitely love it!
7. Sinaing na Tulingan
This is a famous viand in Batangas that uses small tuna (tulingan), which is very abundant in Balayan Bay, as its main ingredient. Sinaing na Tulungan is a slow-cooked bullet tuna that is rubbed in salt, wrapped in dried bilimbi, and placed in a clay pot. With the addition of salt, peper, and garlic, the natural flavor of the fish percolates and mixes with the water. Subsequently, the mixture will become fish sauce (patis).
The secret of this awesome dish is the use of palayok or clay pot when cooking. It is believed that using a palayokwill make the food tastier. An advantage of cooking sinaing na tulingan is it does not require refrigeration and it has a long shelf life.
In addition, you can spice up this remarkable Batangas food by including a siling mahaba.
8. The Signature Taal Recipes
Tapang Taal
If you are a Filipino residing in Manila, then the first thing that will pop into your mind when you hear the word Tapa is beef. However, the usual tapa that you know is quite different when you go to Batangas.
In Batangas, their tapa is actually made of pork jerky that is marinated with soy sauce, calamondin, and garlic. Compared to the tapa of Manila, Tapang Taal is sweet and garlicky to the taste.
Tapang Taal is a perfect breakfast meal to complete your morning routine, so never miss having a taste of this. Also, do not forget to partner it with fried rice and egg.
Longganisang Taal
Garlic is undeniably a premium ingredient in the province of Batangas since most of its dishes has it. Similar with Tapang Taal, Longganisang Taal is endowed with a strong garlicky flavor and its meat is very fatty.
What sets this longganisa from the other longganisa delicacies of other provinces is its brown, soft, and compact skin filled with pork that is marinated with garlic, pepper, sugar, soy sauce, Worcestershire sauce, and calamondin juice.
9. Sinigang na Maliputo
Sinigang is one of the famous broths in the Philippines because of its incredible sour taste brought by the unripe tamarind as one of its ingredients. There are different versions of sinigang dishes in the country depending on the ingridient being used such as Sinigang na Baboy (if you use pork), Sinigang na Baka (if you use beef), Sinigang na Bangus (if you use milkfish), Sinigang na hipon (if you use shrimp), and Sinigang na Maliputo (if you use the Maliputo, which is a freshwater fish, that can only be found in Taal Lake). Among this, the Sinigang na Maliputo is most famous in Batangas.
Every 9th of August in Batangas, the Maliputo Festival is being celebrated as a way to promote this product. Since this fish is a rare find or only endemic in Taal Lake, its price can reach as high as PHP 600 per kilo.
This dish is best partnered with bagoong to complement its sour flavor and a hot-steamed rice.
10. Tawilis
Did you know that Tawilis or Freshwater Herring is endemic in the Philippines? This is why, Batangas takes pride for having tawilis as one of their native delicacies that bring forth their local color.
Moroever, Tawilis is remarkably one of the best deep-fried Batangas food that you should try when you visit the province. This freshwater fish is best when it is seasoned well with salt and pepper and dredged into a batter made of water, cornstarch, and flour.
Afterward, enjoy the crunch as you eat with bare hands. Yes! Eating with bare hands is a Filipino tradition that you should try.
Finally, do not forget to use vinegar to complement the saltiness of tawilis!
11. Suman – Batangas Food Delicacy
Suman is a prominent glutinous rice cake or kakanin delicacy in the Philippines. It varies depending on the province where it is created. In Batangas, the Suman is chewy and nutty, which can be served as hot or cold. On the other hand, there are two known types of Sumang Batangas that are worth a try:
a. Sumang Magkayakap
Honest to its name, this suman can be easily identified as they are wrapped in an embrace (‘magkayakap’ when translated in English means ‘in an embrace’).
The best thing about this rice cake is it comes with a toasted desiccated coconut, and a thick and rich coco sugar sauce.
b. Kalamay-Kapit
Another type of Sumang Batangas which you will definitely love is Kalamay-Kapit. This is a sticky rice flour in coconut milk and sugar. Well, coconut lovers will surely adore this kakanin.
Now that you know about the Suman specialty of Batangas, then never miss the satisfaction of having Suman as part of your breakfast or snack time, partnered with a hot chocolate tablea or kapeng barako drink!
12. Bagoong Balayan
The usual Bagoóng recipe is made of fish, krill, or shrim paste fermented in salt. They give off a pungent odor, but the taste is great when partnered with fried dishes.
In Batangas, their Bagoóng is made of salt and anchovies and stored in a large earthen jar for fermentation. Bagong Balayan is a known manufacturer of this in the province.
13. Nilupak
The next Batangas food that you should try is the Nilupak.
If you are familiar with cassava, then you are somehow acquainted to this dish. Nilupak is a Batangan term that literally means “mashed” or “pounded” when translated into English.
This midday snack or dessert is made of mashed cassava with creamy butter and condensed milk. Moreover, this delicacy is perfect when topped with grated coconut or shredded cheese.
14. Tsokolate Tablea (Cacao Chocolate Drink)
Because of the cool climate that Batangas has, hot drinks are popular in the area. Among these are the Tsokolate Tablea for sweet chocolate fans and Kapeng Barako for strong coffee lovers.
Cacao Chocolate drinking has been part of Batangas tradition and other provinces in the country. Most probably, it is due to the influence of the Spaniards during the colonial period.
The best cacao producer in the country is the province of Batangas. The cocoa is roasted and grounded prudently to achieve a rich and chocolatey taste.
Subsequently, the chocolate drink in Batangas is made by boiling tablea with water, sugar, and milk. Batangueños use a special tool called batidor, which is a wooden beater, to stir the chocolate into thick perfection.
Tsokolate Eh and Tsokolate Ah
When you travel to Batangas, there are two types of chocolate drink you can choose from, which are Tsokolate Eh and Tsokolate Ah. You may eventually encounter Tsokolate Eh and Tsokolate Ah in some of the restaurant menus in the province, so let us differentiate the two.
In the Noli Me Tangere novel by the Philippine’s national hero, Dr. Jose Rizal, the two terms are connected to the social status of the people during that time.
a. Tsokolate Eh
Eh came from the term “espreso” meaning thick.
Tsokolate Eh refers to people with high social status. For this reason, the chocolate is endowed with a rich and thick chocolate drink.
b. Tsokolate Ah
Ah came from the term “aguada” meaning watered down
Tsokolate Ah refers to people with low social status. Consequently, this type of chocolate is the thinner version of Tsokolate Ah because of its diluted texture.
15. Kapeng Barako
Suman and the Kapeng Barako is the perfect combo if you’re here in Batangas.
The Filipino word “barako” means stud or it is a word referring to masculinity. The strong taste and aroma of Batangas coffee vividly reflects the image of barako.
Since the Philippine Liberica seed is exclusively available in Batangas, this is the only province where you can have a sip of this authentic black coffee amidst the cool weather in the area.
The strong punch of this coffee will definitely booze your energies up in the morning.
Have your Batangas Food Adventure in an Affordable Condo Home
We hope that our Batangas food guide will help you in making your travel to the province worthwhile. Indeed, your Batangas trip will not be complete without having a taste of the delicacies listed here. Therefore, make sure that you include Batangas food as one of your itineraries.
Or, you can bring these delicacies in an affordable condo home in Lipa and enjoy them with your loved ones as you fill your eyes with the panoramic view of nature. Either way, you will surely love Batangas more!
See you on our next gastronomic adventure!
