LAGUNA: Food Trip and Pasalubong

This province by the lake is famous for homemade dishes, sweet treats and other crafts known for every city and town of its domain. As I frequently pass by this province, I make sure to visit and try some of their well-known delicacies locals and tourists rave about.

1. Puto Biñan

If Calasiao has bite-sized version, then Biñan has their own pizza-like version of this delicacy. Made mainly of pound rice flour, milk and cheese, this is the well-known product of this city and the best makers are found in Brgy San Vicente, where the PNR station is located.

2. Buko Pie

This pie was invented in Los Baños and famous stalls are located at Brgy. Anos. Buses plying the highway will take stopovers just to buy these freshly-baked goodies. This stall sells one of the best pies I've ever tasted.

3. Yema Cake

A simple cake made from egg yolks and milk smothered over chiffon cake slices, this dessert is a favorite by the locals and this is a staple on every occasion in San Pablo City. Aside from yema cake, they do have equally famous chocolate cake that can be bought at an affordable price.

4. Kinulob na Itik

Victoria town is famous for duck-raising activities, so they produce duck eggs turned mostly to salted eggs as well as duck meat. Famous dish concocted is kinulob, which is a way of cooking duck meat by slow-cooking in an airtight-pot and put in an open flame for hours then deep-fried. The result is a crispy skin but juicier meat without the stench.

5. Bibingkang Alsa

When you ply the Luisiana-Cavinti road, you'll see stalls selling these oven-baked treats and put in cubic pandan baskets. One time, we went to Hulugan falls and the market road of San Salvador have these bibingka vendors, as snacks for day hikers or pasalubong after the long trip. It is different from the usual fluffy variant, as this is quite similar to tupig. Instead of grilled in hot charcoals, it is baked on a makeshift tin oven where the mixture is put in clay pot, lined with banana leaf.

6. Espasol

This sweet treat is usually wrapped in paper cones drenched with generous amounts of rice flour. You can buy these from bus vendors or from roadside pasalubong stores in Laguna. Alaminos, Pagsanjan, Luisiana and Nagcarlan are famous for making these rice puddings. Among these towns, Nagcarlan has a concentration of making the best of these in Barangay Yukos.

7. Uraro

A very light biscuit made from arrowroot flour and dissolves in your mouth. It's like the soft version of puto seko. I can eat a pack of these! Perfect for a hot coffee or tea in the afternoon, or a snack while buying native slippers in Liliw's main street.

8. Ampaw

Ampaw Pinipig is one of the local produce of Biñan where it is used to be served in many varieties. Biñan used to have vast fields producing rice so this snack is one of the delicacies they offer, adapted from Chinese.

9. Pospas

Pospas is a famous comfort food in Biñan similar to lugaw but it is cooked with chicken and innards, served with toasted garlic, spring onions and pork crackling. One might lace it with calamansi juice and patis (fish sauce), depending on individual taste. 

10. Camote de Leche

This is the famous dessert served by Calle Arco Restaurant in Pagsanjan (near the arch).

11. Pancit Maciang

Maciang's is a renowned panciteria in San Pedro Laguna since the early 50s that is known for its unique taste. It is a pancít dish with proven, egg, and ketchup.

12. Pancit Tagapo

A must-try pancit in a barangay at Santa Rosa City, Laguna.

13. Ube Halaya

This delicacy is sold at Brgy. San Marcos, at a stretch of road between San Pablo and Calauan, Laguna.

*Ben's Halo-halo

One of the best halo-halo I've tried! It originated in San Pablo and it uses gelato ice which makes their halo-halo more smooth and flavorful. You can have the original one or spicy variety.

*Tuding's Porkchop

An institution in Laguna, this restaurant started breakfast meals but became famous for their porkchop meals. Tuding's Porkchop House originated in San Antonio, Biñan City. But due to their patrons coming from outside of Laguna, their San Pedro City branch became famous due to proximity in Metro Manila.

Every town has their own specialties. It's great that I try them one product at a time. :)

#RiseHighLaguna

Visita Iglesia in Laguna

Philippines is truly blessed with heritage churches scattered across the country. Almost every town has their own to be proud of. We have a tradition called visita iglesia (in Spanish meaning church visit) where a handful of churches are visited according to the Stations of the Cross every Holy Week. Since It's my very first time to do this, I asked the permission of my parents to travel and gave me tips of how/where to commute in different towns since they're busy in our church activities. My hometown is in Tanay, Rizal so I decided to explore and have a visit at Laguna province's churches, starting from the eastern corridor.

The town of Mabitac has a seal bearing the Our Lady of Candelaria Church at the top of the hill. From the local street, you'll have to pass a hundred steps to get there. After hearing the mass, I started to plan my itinerary using my Laguna map.

Only the church bell tower was left intact

Walking toward Siniloan, this bustling town has  a renovated Sts. Peter & Paul Church located near municipal grounds.

A jeepney ride will take you to the town of Pangil with Our Lady's Nativity Church at the town's square. Housed here are the images of Infant Jesus and Pregnant Mother Mary.

The silent town of Pakil is proud of their long-running Turumba festival in honor of Our Lady of Sorrows. The beautiful façade of St. Peter of Alcantara Church was left intact with majestic mountainous background.

Paete has an imposing St. James The Apostle Church with holy images carved by local artists and showcasing the artistry of the townsfolk.

Kalayaan town used to be called Longos. Saint John the Baptist Parish is situated near the lake so it withstood numerous floods caused by Laguna de Bay. It was once abandoned as the new town center was transferred to a nearby barangay. Today, Longos just applies to the barangay at the northern part of Kalayaan, Laguna.

Famous for their embroidery, Lumban was also famous for their local parish, St. Sebastian Church on a nearby town hall.

At the eastern crossroads of Laguna, Pagsanjan has Our Lady of Guadalupe Church where its miraculous image was believed to save the town from invaders.

I chose the Sta. Cruz route since the jeepneys going to different towns are plying around the town's square. Immaculate Conception Church somehow left the façade partly intact.

A short jeepney ride will lead you to the Heritage Town of Pila. Modeled after a colonial Spanish town plan, the St. Anthony of Padua Church is placed across the town hall on a plaza.

From Sta. Cruz, I rode a jeepney going to the sleepy town of Magdalena where the namesake St. Mary Magdalene Church served as a refuge to our hero, Emilio Jacinto, as his blood stains are protected by a marker at the church's convent.

Further south and you'll reach the town of Liliw. Famous for their slippers and delicacies, the St. John The Baptist Church stands proudly on a hilly terrain with mountainous backdrop.

The last stop of my one-day church visit is at Nagcarlan. St. Bartholomew Church remained intact and believed to be connected to the famous underground cemetery through a tunnel.

The next day, I visited the churches at Western Laguna. With a different route, I never got lost because of my reliable map. I went directly to Calamba City where our national hero, Jose Rizal was born. He was baptized at St. John The Baptist Church where his baptismal certificate is displayed at the baptistry.

The progressive town of Cabuyao has an old church near the town plaza. St. Polycarp Church is a mute witness to the execution of local martyrs during the colonial period.

The renovated St. Rose of Lima Church at Sta. Rosa City is adjacent to the former municipal hall, now a city's museum.

Located at the town's square, the St. Isidore The Laborer Parish of Biñan City stands next to the old municipal hall.

Finally, another progressive town in Laguna, San Pedro is famous for jasmine blossoms or sampaguita. Flower vendors are a common sight infront of St. Peter The Apostle Church.

The church of Los Baños, Immaculate Conception Parish Church is home to the venerated image of Nuestra Señora del Aguas Santas (Our Lady of the Holy Waters). The miraculous image is attributed to the healing waters of the hot springs/baths where the town is known for.

St. Augustine Parish Church located at the inland highway passing the poblacion of Bay (pronounced by locals as 'ba-EH') in Laguna greets the parishioners of its stone facade.

La Resurreccion Parish of Victoria is relatively new, as this was established after its town creation, carved from adjacent municipality of Pila.

 Even it's very recent, my Mt. Banahaw loop church visit included a city and a town in Laguna. First is the St. Paul the First Hermit Cathedral at San Pablo City. This is the seat of the Diocese of San Pablo, covering all churches in Laguna province.

Another remarkable heritage church is the St. Gregory The Great Church in Majayjay, where it has an unusual height for a church the time it was built.

In Luisiana town, Nuestra Señora del Rosario Parish is nestled at the back of municipal hall.

The Transfiguration of Our Lord Parish of Cavinti is located in a hilly terrain where the patron saint is El Salvador del Mundo (Divine Savior of the World).

Though I missed some heritage churches at Laguna province, soon I'll update this post once I visited bastions of faith when I embarked on another journey. Again, here is my visita iglesia route:

Eastern corridor (Day 1): Mabitac-Siniloan-Pangil-Pakil-Paete-Kalayaan (Longos)-Lumban-Pagsanjan-Sta. Cruz-Pila-Magdalena-Liliw-Nagcarlan

Western corridor (Day 2): Calamba City-Cabuyao-Sta. Rosa City-Biñan City-San Pedro

Central-Southern: Los Baños-Bay-Victoria-San Pablo City-Majayjay-Luisiana-Cavinti

Have a blessed journey everyone! (n_n)