We were invited to the first ever SUGBUAN Festival in Nasugbu, Batangas last Friday, November 30. It is a 3-day event that includes a KAKANIN FESTIVAL.

The Kakanin Festival started with teams from all the barangays of Nasugbu descending upon the town’s plaza with their calderos, talyasis, kudkurans, stoves, and all cooking paraphernalia. Plus of course the ingredients of the finest delicacy the intend to prepare for the competition.

Even the men were involved, pouring condensada on the kakanin

This old man was cooking “bibingka” with fire on top and below

I though this was pancit (noodles) but was told this was also rice cake

In the end, all of the kakanin turned out to be “merienda” fare. Rice cakes of different shapes, sizes, colors, and different ingredients and ways of cooking. All of the participating barangays made sure their kakanins did not only taste good, but were presented well to make them look clean and appetizing. To make sure that the taste “test” was un-influenced by the taste of the kakanin from the other stalls, they all prepared bottled water to wash down the rice cakes, as well as special tea formulations to clean up the taste buds before trying the next delicacy. I learned about the avocado tea : 20 fresh avocado leaves and 10 fresh pandan leaves boiled in a kettle. I will definitely try this at home.

I was asking them if “siete” was for chismis, and they all laughed

Each barangay had a stall and the stalls were all around that section of the town plaza.

Everyone had a chance to sample the fare, but most especially the judges whom they had to please.

a colleague from We Are FUNtastic Philippines, a group of travel photographers, sampling one of the kakanins

two of the judges, and I say it is not hard to please anyone with the yummy rice cakes

The project was initiated by the good lady mayor of the town. I am told that the SUGBUAN was conceived only two months ago, and the level of participation indicates that the SUGBUAN next year will be an even bigger success. This is guaranteed because the good mayor was hands on, and was there as the event was going on.

I will cover the other SUGBUAN activities in another post. The kakanin overwhelmed me (and so filled me up) it deserves a special post on my blog.

Fellow travel photographers and bloggers came in full force

I shall return when they mount Kakanin Festival in 2014.