"...no modern restaurant in Dagupan could ever take the place of these local food in the hearts of Dagupeños and visitors like me."

[DAGUPAN, PANGASINAN, PHILIPPINES] ► Bangus (milkfish) has somehow become synonymous with Dagupan. However, the city of Dagupan is more than the bangus recipes and the expanding presence of fusion dishes and contemporary food innovations that can be found in its ever growing inventory of restaurants and cafes.

[DAGUPAN] ► HELLO! WELCOME TO DAGUPAN!

Earlier this year, I did a walking tour in the downtown district of Dagupan and I found out that the local tupig and bibingka vendors are back near the city plaza!

As far as I'm concerned, I think they were gone for a while. On my last visit, I found out that the local vendors stationed at the corner of Burgos Street and AB Fernandez Avenue near the Dagupan City Plaza are back!

Tupig and Local Bibingka

Tupig is basically popular in Northwestern Luzon and in some Ilocano speaking towns in Central Luzon. Although Dagupan is not technically an Ilocano city, this city takes pride of its Dagupeño tupig.

[DAGUPAN] ► A TUPIG VENDOR NEAR THE CITY PLAZA

Tupig is made of ground glutinous rice and coconut strips (or grated coconut in some cases) wrapped with banana leaves.

Some of the tupig vendors I saw were stationed near the AB Fernandez Avenue and Burgos Street corner of the Dagupan City Plaza.

[DAGUPAN] ► TUPIG IS A LOCAL DELICACY HERE IN DAGUPAN.

[DAGUPAN] ► TUPIG IS MADE OF GLUTINOUS RICE WRAPPED WITH BANANA LEAVES.

Moving on, I think it was my first time to encounter these bibingka makers and vendors in this part of AB Fernandez Avenue located near the city plaza.

Bibingka, like tupig, is also made of glutinous rice and coconut strips cooked with a banana leaf too. Unlike tupig, bibingkas are not rolled and wrapped with banana leaves. They're like cup cakes.

[DAGUPAN] ► THIS IS DAGUPAN'S LOCAL BIBINGKA.

The bibingkas of Dagupan are cooked over charcoal. Bibingka makers cook them right in the streets. They put their bibingkas inside a can then cover it with a coconut shell.

[DAGUPAN] ► COOKING A BIBINGKA, DAGUPAN STYLE.

[DAGUPAN] ► THESE LOCAL RICE CAKES WERE PLACED INSIDE THESE CANS.

[DAGUPAN] ► THE CAN WAS COVERED WITH COCONUT SHELL.

Ending Words

Dagupan's local food (well, aside from bangus) are usually not the highlights of its food scene but they're here to stay.

The city has evolved (and continues to evolve) so fast with the mushrooming of new restaurants and cafés but the local food that make up the foundation of its local culture couldn't be replaced by any modern and posh restaurant.

Tupig and bibingka are insanely cheap yet it's jam-packed with calories to keep you going and strong. It's even healthier with less grease or fats. Indeed, no modern restaurant in Dagupan could ever take the place of these local food in the hearts of Dagupeños and visitors like me. They're here not because vendors need to earn by selling them but because Dagupan's intangible spirit is not complete without these local food, hence, part of their identity. | end |

11 JANUARY 2017: TUPIG AND BIBINGKA
DAGUPAN, PANGASINAN PROVINCE, PHILIPPINES

[DAGUPAN] ► HELLO! WELCOME TO DAGUPAN!

► FOOTNOTES, DISCLAIMERS, ACKNOWLEDGMENT, ETC

[1] This post was filed under the category "Food and Cuisines." There is a section below where you can see other related posts from this category.

[2] The maps I used on this post are from maps.google.com.ph.

[3] All photos are mine.

[4] The insights, condition and name of places or properties I mentioned here are based on the facts and situation on the day of my visit. Take note that you may have a different experience when you try or see the properties or places mentioned here. Names of places and properties may also change by time so it's not my responsibility to update all the information on this blog because once published, I already consider it an archive and I won't update my narratives because I want them to become my references of what have happened in the past. I'm very particular of the dates because I want my amazing readers to understand that I am writing stories based on my perspective and insights on the day of my visit. You can see dates almost everywhere on this blog. Exempted from this rule are my travel guide posts that need to be updated.