95
{
}
C E L E B R A T I O N T I M E
Humba iponan
Cagayan deOro
There are so many regional versions
of
humba,
braised pork that has a
decidedly Chinese influence in its use
of soy sauce, sometimes with peanuts
and salted black beans, others with
banana flowers. In Cagayan de Oro, the
town of Iponan is known for its humba
and it is different.
Pork shoulder butt or belly is used
with the whole piece browned first;
whatever fat that is expressed is
collected then used for a cake known
as
torta
,
a feasting specialty. The
braising liquid includes water, tomato
sauce and tomato paste, which give the
dish a reddish hue, a can of pineapple
tidbits and its syrup, banana flowers, a
touch of soy sauce and a bit of sweet
from muscovado.
Cagayan de Oro is like many
Mindanao provinces, made up
of people whose ancestors were
immigrants from the Luzon and Visayas
regions, the two major islands in the
north. So its heritage dishes are from
those different immigrant cultures,
adapted and then made different in the
process. Then those emerge as dishes
distinctly from the place, just like this
humba from Cagayan de Oro in the
town of Iponan.
Kalel says
To add another dimension
to the flavor of the pork
and the sauce, grill the
pineapple first.
