The #Ivatan cuisine - part of the #Batanestour

Wheels of Happiness

Rizal Philippines  | January 30, 2015

Other interesting stories at Voyagi blog

Similar post by Red Hiker

                        Entrance to Octagon resto

The usual part of the tour is eating/dining.  So part of this narration is about the places were we ate.

The Batanes resort resto
Jessicas
Octagon bed and dine
Dive Point

                      At Dive Point

The other good places to eat daw are at Midland, Pacita Fundacion, Ivatan Travel and Lodge (near the airport where you can taste authentic Ivatan fare)

I can only discuss the dinner we had at Jessica's and at Octagon on the first day.

Octagon bed and Rest

                 The table legs are Singer Sewing machine legs

               Unique tiles and mirrors of the Octagon resto

                         It is not real gravel but tiles

      Jorgues biker at Octagon with the Basco port as a background

             Octagon is about views, art work, and ambiance

                    It is not a place mat, but a woodcarving

 x

At Octagon, we had seaweeds, meat, chopsuey, fish, and fruit salad. The Octagon has a magnificent view of the China sea, carvings, the sewing machine stand for the table. So this is a regular restaurant.  We had lunch on the fourth day, the free day and we had seaweeds again, beef,and pancit canton.

Jessica

That is where we had our dinner and the fare was a sort of minalot. The turmeric rice and the viand were wrapped in breadfruit leaves. and tied with coconut fronds.   We had spoon and fork (but I suppose minalot is supposed to be taken without spoon and fork)  The viand consisted of 4 balls  (Uvud balls) that were made of banana pith and some fish, fish, and some meat. We had seaweed soup and seaweed salad.  It supposed to be an Ivatan typical meal.


Uvud balls from Journeying James


Seaweed soup from Journeying James

              The breadfruit leaves used to wrap a la minalot food of Ivatans.

We saw the same fare at Savidug tourist food station because the plate was breadfruit leaf, then it it had turmeric rice, the seaweed salad, seaweed soup, grilled meat.

The Ivatan diet is characterized by very sparse ingredient (because there are none) use of vegetable materials, turmeric rice fish and meat.  They are very bare essentials;  eating only what nature has provided.

Their other food ingredients come from ship that ply from Manila once a week.

Gasoline costs P60.00 per liter as they are delivered from Manila in containers.  There are no tankers nor oil/gas depots.

Life is difficult in Batanes.

                        Pacita's Fundacion

                       Jorgeusbiker at Fundacion

                  Magnificent gardens at Fundacion

The tubho tea

                     The Sabtang tourist office is across this street

   x              Map of Sabtang island at the tourism office

                       Very simple Sabtang Municipal Building

                  The fresh tubho fern (not so fresh anymore?)

     

              The tubho team bought from Matilde at Tinyan hills


Matilde? from Voyagi blog


The free Tubho tea from Matilde

We had a taste of tubho tea (derived from ferns that grow in rocks at cold places) when we registered at the Sabtang Tourist registration.  Then, Matilde Hollesteros of Tinyan Hills  and Chavayan Ivatan village gave us a free taste.   We bought 3 packs of Tubho tea from her worth P50.00@. It is supposed to be medicinal and promotes long life. Her father died at the age of 106