'PANCIT BATIL PATUNG'. A giant serving of "pancit batil patung" takes centerstage in the Cagayan Valley Food and Music Festival held at the SM Downtown in Tuguegarao City on Saturday (Sept. 28, 2019). The dish was shared by at least one thousand people. (PNA photo by Villamor Visaya Jr.)
TUGUEGARAO CITY -- A giant serving of "pancit batil patung", a popular noodle dish here, was partaken by at least 1,000 mall-goers during the Cagayan Valley Food and Music Festival held at SM Downtown here over the weekend.
In preparing the dish that was spread on a seven-by-seven-meter table, the event's organizers used 200 kilograms of "miki" or wheat dough noodles, 500 pieces of poached eggs, and 20 kilos of carabeef aside from vegetable toppings, chopped onions and other ingredients.
"People in the province and other areas love this pancit and consume the pancit two to three times a week, even every day. The residents love the dish because it's a complete meal on its own and very filling," Gerina Rose Malubay-Torno, SM Downtown public relations officer, told the Philippine News Agency.
“Pancit was introduced to us by Chinese traders a long time ago and because of the Filipinos’ creativity and ability to adopt quickly, pancit became a part of our identity," said Tuguegarao City Mayor Jefferson Soriano.
Batil means “beaten egg” and "patung" means “topping,". The dish has two components--the noodles with toppings and the “sauce”, which is a soup-like broth.
Many panciterias in this northern Philippines city have their own version of pancit batil patung. Some serve it with egg drop soup and with different meat toppings such as sauteed "karne na nuwang" or carabeef or "lechon karahay", chicharon or pork rinds, and liver. Chopped onions, soy sauce, vinegar, calamansi and chili add different flavors to the noodle dish. (PNA)
