Midnight Express: The flavors of art capital Angono

Angono is known for its artists and its Higantes Festival. But this municipality in Rizal also deserves a spot in every foodie's heart for its cuisine, which includes tasty itik dishes and the "big" meal minaluto.

Itik dishes



Itik, or duck, farming has been a common livelihood in Angono since the Spanish period, so naturally there many dishes here with duck meat as the main ingredient.

Fried itik was the first popular duck dish from Angono, but its Tourism Officer Patnubay Tiamson shared that the residents have since developed a variety of recipes.

"Ngayon po, para magkaroon ng ibang variety pa ng klase ng pagkain ng itik, kaya po ginawa ang cooking contest na ito. Isang talento, isang art din ang pagluluto na dine-develop ng Angono," he explained.

Some of the duck dishes foodies can try at Angono are itik curry, pininyahang itik, sisig na itik, and adobo sa gata na itik. 

After tasting the four dishes, host Mikael Daez exclaimed, "Tama nga naman na makilala ang Angono sa itik dahil lahat ng putaheng sinubukan ko today ay napakasarap!"

Minaluto



Angono farmers and fishermen need a lot of energy to get through the working day, and this was how minaluto, which is a combination of "minalot" and "minaluto," got into the picture. At first, they would wrap steamed fish or egg and rice in banana leaves, and that would be their baon.

Today, a restaurant in the municipality called Balaw-Balaw has given this humble packed lunch an extravagant makeover, adding even more proteins to the mix.

Instead of just fish or egg, the restaurant's minaluto features different seafood as well as fried chicken and pork in its modern take on the dish—a dish so big the entire family can share and savor it.

The customers can also choose what kind of rice they want to be served: normal, pink, yellow, and bagoong rice. — Trisha Macas/BM, GMA News