History, Culture, Language, and Food. These are things that make Southern Leyte stand out from the rest of the Eastern Visayas provinces.
Southern Leyte is one of the provinces in Eastern Visayas and considered to be one of the least population, totaling 421,750 [2015 census]. The capital city is Maasin City - the only city in southern Leyte. It has 18 municipalities which include Limasawa - where the first catholic mass in the Philippines held on.
Geographically, the province of Southern Leyte is located in the southern tip of the eastern Visayas, facing Surigao Strait on the east side, to the south is Bohol sea and Canigao channel to the west. As the place is located nearby to provinces in which Cebuano is widely spoken, Southern Leyte is widely influenced including a dialect of Waray-Waray which is heavy Cebuano influenced [Linguist Jason Lobel, 2009].
But aside from its rich history and heavily diverse community, the province of Southern Leyte is one of the top exporter of some agricultural products in the Philippines. According to the studies of the Chinese consulate base in Cebu, Southern Leyte plays an important role in exporting copra, abaca fiber, banana, rice, corn, fruits, vegetable, and poultry meat. No wonder why Southern Leyte has delicious delicacies made of these products.
5 Native Delicacies in Southern Leyte you must try:
1) Binagol
Made from Glutinous rice, kalamay or brown sugar, and taro pudding with nuts. This sweet delicacy is widely known due to its sweet taste and unique packaging. Covered by coconut shell or "Bagol" in Waray-Waray term that's why it's called Binagol. Binagol is one of the top delicacies that tourists looks in Eastern Visayas. Its price ranges from 100 pesos - 220 pesos.
2) Suman Latik
Suman Latik is a sweet Filipino snack made from rice dish and caramel sauce. The ingredients are Glutinous rice, young coconut milk (Strips), White Sugar, Sesame seed, Salt (optional), Water, and Banana leaves as the packaging. There is also a version of Suman Latik which the side rice dish is paired with Bukayo (sweetened coconut strips). Price ranges from 10 pesos to 30 pesos.
3) Tres Marias
According to the blog post of Hinunag blog spot, Tres Marias is one of the unique Leyte delicacies due to its ingredients. It is a kind of delicacy that is Suman made but unlike the typical Suman, Tres Marias is made of 3 kinds of rice. Its price
(Photo by Tesa's Suman.)
ranges from 6 pesos to 10 pesos each. You can buy per piece or bulk orders, just contact Tesa's Suman - 09483665620.
4) Chocolate Moron
Superstar in every celebration in Southern Leyte. The chocolate moron is one of the easiest Native delicacies to prepare in the province because it's ingredients are easy to find anywhere. It is made of Glutinous rice, ordinary rice, coconut milk, sugar, chocolate or cocoa powder, and melted butter. It is wrapped in banana leaves. Price ranges from 10 pesos to 15 pesos.
5) Bocarillos
You might hear and about Bucayo, but Bocarillos is the Southern Leyte's version of Bucayo. It is made of coconut strips, evaporated milk, egg, sugar, and calamansi juice. Bucayo and Bocarillos are both sweets but the difference is that Bucayo uses brown
sugar making it color brown while Bocarillos is lighter in color because of its ingredients. Today, Bocarillos is one of the most popular delicacies in Southern Leyte.
Southern Leyte is gifted in terms of agricultural products as shown on their popular delicacies. This helps the province recognized as one of the top exporters of these products. Some people might treat this as pasalubong, but these are more than just a product. They already part of Southern Leyte's traditional ways of improvising their agricultural resources. Over the decades, the native delicacies help to improvise the life of so many people. That is why we should try to support their products because we are not just buying a product, we are also helping a community preserve and improvise their resources. I hope this blog would convince you to try the taste of Southern Leyte and not just visiting their beautiful places. Buying those products means helping them building a more progressed community in the future. This is the end of my blog, I hope you all enjoy and comment below your favorite Southern Leyte Delicacies. What is your place native delicacy?
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