In a few weeks' time, we will be celebrating Christmas. In Filipino tradition, we will be having a nine-day series of Simbang Gabi or Dawn Mass, especially for Catholics. In connection to it, we will be again seeing the Filipino delicacy that is traditionally served during the holiday season the Puto Bumbong.
Puto Bumbong is made from glutinous rice which is well-known in by Visayan language as Tapol. You may wonder why it is in purple color, it is believed that the color came naturally from a special type of glutinous rice called "Pirurutong" but nowadays it's very seldom to find which color makes it looks festive for Christmas. To retain the color people who make Puto Bumbong use food coloring instead.
What makes the Puto Bumbong even more special is the way how it is being prepared. From the name itself "Bumbong" is a Filipino word that means bamboo tube. The glutinous rice or "Puto" is being cooked inside the bamboo tube through steaming. Literally, Puto Bumbong translates its name through the way it is being prepared.
As you can see in the above photo the lads selling Puto Bumbong had a special steamer for such delicacy. Bamboo tubes are being placed in the steamer and once it is ready to serve, they then roll it on the coconut flakes and place it on the larger steamer just to keep it ward until it is being sold.
Right then and then, my wife and I bought 2 packs of Puto Bumbong which is sold for 50 Pesos per pack and each pack has 4 rolls in it, equivalent to 1 US dollar per pack. In addition to it, they topped it with cheese that eventually melted since the Puto Bumbong is served smoking hot all the way from the steamer, which makes it more flavorful since the melted cheese soaked into the Tapol rice and the coconut flakes.
The delicacy has been associated with the holiday season since it is mostly sold outside the churches during the traditional nine-day dawn mass or Simbang Gabi. And these Puto Bumbong vendors are the first ones I see as Christmas day is fast approaching.
After all, the Filipinos have a lot of traditional food that only comes out during the Holiday seasons and one of them is the Puto Bumbong. Do you have traditional food also that usually comes out during the Holiday season? Share it with the community as well.