Iloilo: UNESCO Creative City of Gastronomy

Avisala!

It's been a week since I posted something because I got exhausted from our Iloilo City food trip and museum hopping last weekend. Karenina (

Hive account@itskareninamoi) and I went to Iloilo City with the sole purpose of trying the famous food that made the city into the UNESCO Creative Cities Network under the Gastronomy category. There are now three cities in the Philippines that are part of UCCN with Baguio as Creative City of Crafts and Folk Art in 2017, Cebu as Creative City of Design in 2019, and of course, Iloilo as Creative City of Gastronomy in 2023.

I have been to the three cities. Of course, I'm from Cebu, so Cebu City felt like my backyard. I've traversed its mountains almost every weekend and explored the spots the city is proud of. I went to Baguio last year after we climbed Mt. Pulag, but I didn't write anything about the city because of our bad experiences. I'll still give the city another chance, but not this time. Maybe I'll visit again in the next few years.

_{At Plaza Libertad, adjacent to Iloilo City Hall}

What was supposed to be a food trip became a tour of the city's history when we visited eight museums. It was exhausting but a lot of fun. Of course, we didn't miss trying La Paz batchoy, Pancit Molo, Sikwate de Batirol, Molo Church bibingka, and the famed Brandy Coffee.

_{La Paz Batchoy is Iloilo's noodle soup with pork or beef meat and innards and sprinkled with chicharon and chopped green onions. We had this soup at Netong's Original La Paz Batchoy in Atria.}

_{Pancit Molo is a dumpling soup that originated from Molo District of Iloilo City. We had this at Camiña Balay nga Bato in Villa Arevalo.}

_{Sikwate de Batirol is a hot chocolate drink that's so thick and creamy. It's like an espresso of hot chocolate drinks. It was also at Camiña Balay nga Bato in Villa Arevalo.}

_{Brandy Coffee is just any coffee drink that like that's added with Emperador Brandy. We had this at Brandy Museum, but it's not for me. I don't like the taste.}

_{Molo Church bibingka is a type of rice cake that's sold near the church. It's so cute, but you have to buy 10 pieces for Php 50.00.}

As I've mentioned, we've been to eight museums and I'll probably share all of them in their respective posts, but for now, let me share the most prominent one for me. It's the National Museum of the Philippines - Iloilo. It houses the Oton Gold Death Mask and is situated in an old prison at the back of the Provincial Capitol.

_{The Old Prison of Iloilo which is now The National Museum of the Philippines - Iloilo.}

_{The Oton Gold Death Mask is a burial face cover that is believed to drive away evil spirits that wish to occupy the dead body. It's an ancient burial practice that's associated with social status.}

We also tried walking at the Iloilo Esplanade. What started as a flood control project became the longest linear park in the country. It also became a remarkable urban development project and a symbol of how to properly spend taxpayers' money. The project consists of ten phases of interconnected parks and promenades.

I still have a lot to share, but I guess that's all for now. See you in the next post!

Kim Ybañez

_{Welcome to Kim's small corner in Hive. He is a chemical engineer by profession, but a blogger by passion. He is a wanderlust and an adventure seeker. Join his quests as he visits remote destinations, climbs mountains, tries new and exotic dishes, and explores his country (The Philippines). He's also a trying-hard photographer so stay tuned as he shares his photos and his thought process while creating them.}

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