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Fantastic fern
In the cool upland areas of Quezon, such as Lucban, you’ll
find
pako
,
or fern, growing wild on the mountainside. Only
the new sprouts are edible and should therefore be the only
ones harvested, but in many local markets, pako is sold
along with their long hard stems to make the purchase seem
as though you’re getting more value for your money.
Because pako grows wild and thus doesn’t contain
remnants of pesticide, it’s a big hit among organic food fans.
The new sprout is shaped like the end of a violin stem, hence,
in English it’s called a fiddlehead fern.
The new sprouts of pako form the main ingredient of a
local salad that’s tossed with tomatoes, and sometimes, with
salted eggs and
kesong puti
(
white carabao milk cheese). You
can top this with any dressing, but the Filipino way is to use a
vinaigrette mix of vinegar, salt, pepper and a little sugar.
For a smoky twist, Luis suggests grilling the kesong puti
and sprinkling over
tinapa
(
smoked fish) flakes. Squeeze
some
dalandan
(
sweet orange) into the dressing.
Chef Luis says…
“
Tinapang galunggong or smoked blue
mackarel scad makes nicer flakes
and is subtle in flavor.”
P I N O Y L E A N C U I S I N E
