Villareal Tourism Hub

12/07/2023

12/07/2023

The art of preparing Samar's Humba lies in the careful balance of flavors and the patience required during the slow-cooking process.

Humba simmers for hours, allowing the ingredients to meld together and develop a symphony of tastes. As the dish gently simmers, it transforms, tenderizing the pork and allowing the flavors to deepen, creating a meltingly tender and savory masterpiece.

Discover this hidden gem and immerse yourself in the extraordinary flavors that have captivated generations.

20/05/2023

26/04/2023

24/04/2023

Celebrating Samar Food Culture and Heritage!

“Pagkaing Sariling Atin, Mahalin at Pagyamanin”

22/04/2023

The Provincial Government of Samar joins the celebration of National Food Month this April.

14/04/2023

HAPAG NG PAMANA (Philippine Food Festival)
VISAYAS (Samar)
Catbalogan City
April 24-27, 2023

Hapag ng Pamana Philippine Food Festival

The NCCA, in partnership with the City Government of Laoag, the Provincial Government of Samar, and the Provincial Government of South Cotabato, brings you to Hapag ng Pamana Philippine Food Festival -- a showcase of food, cooking demonstrations, cultural shows, and other activities featuring the regional culinary heritage of Luzon, Visayas, and Mindanao.

Hapag ng Pamana aims to provide an avenue to celebrate the collaborative efforts of various stakeholders in preserving and promoting their local cuisines.

Hapag ng Pamana Sa Luzon
Laoag, Ilocos Norte
Date: April 18-19, 2023

Hapag ng Pamana sa Visayas
Catbalogan City, Samar
Date: April 24-27, 2023

Hapag ng Pamana sa Mindanao
South Cotabato
Date: April 28-30, 2023

Celebrate Filipino Food Month with us this April with the Department of Agriculture - Philippines, Department of Tourism - Philippines, and Culinary Heritage Movement.

03/04/2023

Savor the flavors of the Philippines: Celebrating Filipino Food Month 2023!

Filipino Food Month, celebrated every April, is a time to recognize and celebrate the rich and diverse cuisine of the Philippines.

This year's Filipino Food Month is anchored on the theme "Pagkaing Sariling Atin, Mahalin, at Pagyamanin.”

06/03/2023

FRESCO (A Family Heirloom Recipe Narrative)
by Erick G. Garcia

𝘐 𝘥𝘪𝘱𝘱𝘦𝘥 𝘢 𝘱𝘪𝘯𝘤𝘩 𝘰𝘧 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘶𝘯𝘴𝘵𝘶𝘧𝘧𝘺 𝘣𝘳𝘦𝘢𝘥 𝘪𝘯 𝘩𝘰𝘵 𝘤𝘰𝘧𝘧𝘦𝘦 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘶𝘱 𝘪𝘵 𝘸𝘦𝘯𝘵 𝘵𝘰 𝘮𝘺 𝘦𝘹𝘱𝘦𝘤𝘵𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘮𝘰𝘶𝘵𝘩. 𝘛𝘩𝘦 𝘮𝘰𝘥𝘦𝘴𝘵 𝘵𝘢𝘴𝘵𝘦 𝘳𝘦𝘮𝘪𝘯𝘥𝘦𝘥 𝘮𝘦 𝘰𝘧 𝘵𝘪𝘮𝘦𝘴 𝘸𝘩𝘦𝘯 𝘭𝘪𝘧𝘦 𝘸𝘢𝘴 𝘴𝘪𝘮𝘱𝘭𝘦𝘳 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘭𝘦𝘴𝘴 𝘤𝘰𝘮𝘱𝘭𝘪𝘤𝘢𝘵𝘦𝘥...𝘸𝘩𝘦𝘯 𝘭𝘪𝘧𝘦 𝘧𝘦𝘭𝘵 𝘧𝘳𝘦𝘴𝘩. 𝘔𝘢𝘺𝘣𝘦 𝘵𝘩𝘪𝘴 𝘪𝘴 𝘸𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘵𝘩𝘪𝘴 𝘣𝘳𝘦𝘢𝘥 𝘪𝘴 𝘢𝘭𝘭 𝘢𝘣𝘰𝘶𝘵. 𝘚𝘪𝘮𝘱𝘭𝘪𝘤𝘪𝘵𝘺 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘧𝘳𝘦𝘴𝘩𝘯𝘦𝘴𝘴. 𝘏𝘦𝘯𝘤𝘦 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘯𝘢𝘮𝘦 𝘍𝘳𝘦𝘴𝘤𝘰.

This quintessential bread of Villareal is pretty much served during daytime, a classic breakfast or snack. And when we talk about Fresco in Villa nowadays, one name instantaneously pops up. Mana Baby.

Mana Baby’s narration of her family’s heirloom recipe made her sentimental and nostalgic. “As a child, I was really amused simply by how the dough was made and how everything was done. I would stand by the table where Nanay was making what for me was a bread of wonder. That time it wasn’t just bread for us but literally the “breadwinner”, as Fresco sustained and helped us financially. It was our means of livelihood and most of the time our food.”

Mana Baby recalled that her mother, Nanay Conching, decided to bake and sell Fresco in order to help her spouse, Tatay Vicente, who was a farmer, in the family’s subsistence, that is, to somehow support the schooling and the day-to-day necessities of her and her siblings Lilia, Eladio, Carmelita, Imelda, Adela, Fermina and Fedencio.

Way back then, “lagud han tuba” (residue of coconut wine) was used to raise bread dough and Fresco was baked using a “hudnuan”, a rectangular clay oven set upon hot coals and ignited pieces of firewood. Fresco was made by mixing brown sugar, salt, “lagud han tuba” and water until the mixture became foamy and dissolved. The flour is then gradually added, stirring until absorbed in the concoction. Once the mixture became sticky, the dough was shaped into individual loaves and let rise for 5 minutes, then baked for about 10 to 15 minutes.

Mana Baby employs the same process of making the dough but this time, she uses yeast to raise bread dough and an electric oven to bake. Baking became a lot easier now, and less labor intensive with the use of electric ovens as compared to using the traditional “hudnuan”. However, she asserted that she is forever grateful to the “hudnuan” because it literally supported them for long in their younger years.

Selling Fresco has been one of Mana Baby’s sources of income and her steadfast sustenance in upholding and supporting her family. She was able to send her children, Paul Czar, Richard, Kara, Patricia and Julimer to school and provided some of her family’s necessaries with the help of the aforementioned family heirloom recipe. She claimed that nowadays they utilize half sack of flour each day to cater to their costumers’ demand, as Fresco has been part of the Villahanon breakfast.

Quite a number of Villahanons order Fresco from Mana Baby. Balikbayans and those who come home for the fiesta or other occasions would request for the classic bread as pasalubong or for their snack once they return overseas or get back to the city. Fresco is also common in morning receptions or in events such as “ponsyon”, death anniversaries or even in birthday celebrations.

A family heirloom recipe is indeed a treasure that family members could go on telling accounts about on dinner tables and in other memorable circumstances.

Mana Baby culminated her narrative with the hope that one of her children would continue what she somehow considers as her mother’s legacy and her own bequest for her children, the family heirloom recipe that is the Fresco.