Three Things That Satisfied My Tummy in Pahiyas de Lucban

Well, what do you know. I came up here for two things: The fiesta and the food. In every fiesta in this country, food is always associated–and it means a whole lot of it. When I was at Lucban, although I wasn’t able to go house-hopping for food, the streets of this quaint Quezon town is a feast of gastronomic proportions. Yup, its beyond your usual delicious chorizo, if you know what I mean. There were three things that made my tummy satisfied all throughout the day in Lucban during the Pahiyas.

Lucban Longaniza

O ayan, pinakasikat na marahil sa lahat ng pagkain ng Lucban. Perhaps the most popular pasalubong and product is the variety of longaniza (sausage) in Lucban. The longaniza is made of pork spiced with garlic and other “secret spices” (I know, trade secret for some) and then stuffed in thin pork intestine. Fry it and dip it in spicy vinegar (that coconut vinegar for that authentic taste). Voila! A sweet yet spicy (with a strong garlic taste) delight to brighten up your day!

The longaniza is sold in two sizes. One small, one big. The smaller one costs around P50-P60 per dozen (they don’t sell per kilo here), and the bigger one for half a price more per dozen. Either way, it’s still great with sinangag (fried rice) and egg for breakfast!

I love it when its crispy fried! Yummy!!!

By the way, I brought home some 1 and a half dozen of small longanisa at home. My bag was reeking with the scent of longanisa. Kulang na lang, kainin na ang bag ko!

Panseeet! Habhab!

Pansit habhab is another specialty that Lucban offers. Its basically pansit (parang pansit kanton) with a few ingredients such as sayote, onions and fried pork. The tindera would give you the pancit either on banana leaf or plastic.Put some spicy vinegar (yup, not your usual ol’calamansi) on it and eat it…STOP! Eat it from your hands! No forks, no chopstiks…straight to your mouth from your hands. That is why its “habhab” because you are going to eat it without any utensils nor use your hands to grab the pancit and put it in your mouth. Baka pagtawanan ka ng iba kung gagamit ka ng kubyertos! Take a look at the picture below and see how you eat pancit habhab.

We were lucky to meet and encounter Aling Lita on the streets of the town with her famed cry, “panseeeeeeet!” According to the locals, she has been selling habhab for years now. If I’m not mistaken, she was also at Discovery Channel one time…and yes, I think she was also in Tado and Erning’s Strange Brew show.

By the way, pansit habhab became my “pantawid gutom” for the rest of the day. It’s so cheap yet it one order fills me up. Price range: P5.00 to P10.00. Wala na akong nakitang sumobra sa presyong yan nung Pahiyas, kaya wag mangambang magutom sa piyesta!

Salud!

We had a very tiring day going around the town to see the decorated homes and witnessed the parade. My friend Biboy (which his family hails from Lucban) took us for some refreshing snack. For a dose of halo-halo!

We went to Salud Refreshment, just a few meters away behind Lucban Church. For locals, it is where you go for a refreshing mais-con-yelo or halo-halo, served the Lucban provincia way. For a serving of halo-halo, I think it was P35 per glass.

It’s really fiesta time when we went to Lucban for the Pahiyas. Thank goodness, the locals really know how to satisfy your appetite during the feasts, and I bet I haven’t seen the rest of Lucban’s gastronomic jewels!

P.S. In case you might wonder, those colourful leaf-like decors that hangs at homes in Lucban during Pahiyas–they’re edible! Yup, its just a product of rice with a bit of food colouring. Kids like it when its roasted.

Oops, control your appetite!

More photos of Lucban Pahiyas Festival here: