The Exotic Foods of Municipality of

Bayabas

INTRODUCTION

The Philippines is known with natural resources and numerous

destinations that are better than the best, with seven thousand islands and
colorful history, culture, and tradition. The Philippines archipelago is also rich in
delicious dishes that the Filipinos can be proud of. This concept paper will give a
glimpse of the exquisite exotic foods of Bayabas, Surigao del Sur.

Exotic foods are generally foods that are not native to a country. It is not
the food that can be found in most dishes. Exotic food is a kind of food that a
person finds strange or unfamiliar. It can be unusual types of meats, fruits,
vegetables, or spices or how the food is prepared.

The origins of exotic food can be traced back to the Second World War
when the Filipinos ate spiders, worms, insects, and even leaves to survive.
Furthermore, thanks to the spices and dishes discovered by the cultural
ancestors, the Filipinos could create exotic dishes that can be delicious and
oddly satisfying.

CONTEXT

Balut is probably the most known exotic food internationally. It is a

developing duck embryo that is boiled and eaten from the shell and is often
served with salt and vinegar.

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 The beetle (salagubang) and its larvae are also considered delicacies in
the Philippines. The beetle larvae can be roasted, cooked in adobo, or sautéed
with salt and sesame. These are rich in protein, and the tenderness of these
insects will truly leave a good taste.

Kamaru or mole crickets which are plentiful in Pampanga, considered as

Kapampangan delicacy. It is often made into adobo but can also be served deep-
fried. Several restaurants in Pampanga serve this dish, including Everybody's
Café in San Fernando.

Aside from the balut, beetle, and mole crickets, there are still a lot of
popular exotic foods in the Philippines like tamilok, tuslob-buwa, fruit bat stew,
soup no. 5, and many more. Indeed, the Philippines have many exotic foods to
serve, and the Municipality of Bayabas is no exception.

Here in the small community of Bayabas, there are also a lot of local
delicacies and exotic foods where people loved and craved to eat despite its odd
appearance, namely:

The barbecued chicken intestine or “isaw” is one of the famous appetizers

and is normally eaten as snacks and dinner. It is sometimes eaten along with
pork barbecue and other dishes. It is grilled in charcoal available on the streets.

A stuffed frog is another animal that tastes like chicken. It can be cooked
in adobo, deep-fried, and ginataan. The Farmers hunt these creatures every rice
planting season, and it is usually their pulutan and drinking alcohol.

Chicken feet, which they called "adidas" named after the shoes. Most of
the edible meat on the foot part consists of skin, tendons, and muscles, and the
texture is very gelatinous. This gives adidas a distinct texture different form the
rest of the chicken's meat.

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 Other exotic foods that can also be found in Bayabas, Surigao del Sur are
coconut worms, chicharon bulaklak, chicken heads, dinuguan, Betamax, and etc.
Unfortunately, there are also exotic foods that Bayabasnon consumes illegally,
like dogs, cats, snakes, and even sea turtles.

The Republic Act No. 8485, otherwise known as "The Animal Welfare Act
of 1998," this act is to protect and promote the welfare of all animals in the
Philippines by supervising and regulating the establishment and operations of all
facilities utilized for breeding, maintaining, keeping, treating or training of all
animals either as objects of trade or as household pets. Hence, caught torturing,
maltreating, catching, and killing animals like dogs, cats, and snakes will be
punished by imprisonment of not less than six (6) months nor more than two (2)
years of a fine not less than one thousand pesos (P1000) nor more than five
thousand pesos (P5000) or both at the discretion of the court.

Nevertheless, eating exotic foods has health benefits. Balut has vitamin C
and beta carotene, both of which are potent antioxidants that help clean free
radicals from your bloodstream and support your immune system. Coconut worm
also contains plenty of healthy proteins. Frogs are rich in protein, omega 3-fatty
acids, vitamin A and oil potassium. According to the elders/ancestors, the
snake's oil from its skin has several treatments also, like allergies, arthritis
inflammation, and chronic pain.

Contrastingly, eating exotic foods has its disadvantages. It contains

dangerous parasitic organisms. Duong Hieu of VNEpress International stated
that eating dogs or other prohibited animal's meat is not as nutritious as people
might think. Dogs' meat might contain parasitic worms like the infamous
Toxocaracanis, resulting in blindness, myocarditis, and respiratory failure. Rabies
is another legitimate concern.

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CONCLUSION

To conclude, exotic foods have the power to transport us into a new

culture, ideas, and traditions. It has a significant contribution to the survival of the
ancestors' way back World War II. Many Filipinos are very frugal people who
have learned to make the best dishes they can out of locally available
ingredients. Being frugal with food is just like being frugal with anything else; the
more parts you can use, the less expensive day-to-day life becomes.
Nevertheless, those exotic food lovers should be careful and aware that aside
from its advantages, it has disadvantages that may put their lives in danger.

RECOMMENDATION

There is a long list of exotic food in the Philippines. If you are a tourist, know why
by discovering the best exotic foods that the Philippines offer. These dishes may
sound weird and strange, but these are some of the best Filipino food you must
try. Pick one of the best exotic foods in the Philippines, eat responsibly, and
accept the challenge to enjoy a great experience today. Filipinos should never
forget not to cross the line to hurt those animals protected by the law.

REFERENCES

Noemy Collado (2015) History of Exotic Food.

https://noemycolladofinals.weebly.com/introduction/september-
26th-2015

Ike Stranathan (2016) 10 Exotic Foods You Have to See to Believe.

Republic Act No. 8485 (02/11/1998)

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