Saturday, October 30, 2010

Kalamay

Kalamay or Calamay is one of the sweetest delicacies in the Philippines.  A lot of part in the country is making the common delicacy that is made of sugar, vanilla, coconut milk, sticky rice and can be added also with peanuts.


The provinces making the sweet delicacy has been claiming that the kalamay is originated from their place but the most common known kalamay makers are the Boholano’s. Kalamay in Bohol came from the various town of the province but the taste of kalamay from Jagna Bohol is the best. Its sweet sticky taste is best savored if paired with bread and of course a cold soft drinks or water.


Below are the ingredients and the steps in making a Kalamay

Ingredients
10 liters of water
10 kilos of white sugar
2 gantas of malagkit (sticky rice)
20 pieces of coconut

Procedures in making a Kalamay
-          Soak the malagkit overnight
-          Grate the coconuts
-          Extract coconut milk from the grated coconut first with 5 liters of water then next with 3 liters of water
-          Pour the malagkit into the first coconut milk extract and grind the mixture
-          Mix the sugar with the second coconut milk extract and boil to make a latik
-          Pour the ground malagkit into the boiling latik
-          Stir the mixture for 4 hours or until the mixture becomes very sticky
-          Put the mixture into half of the coconut shell
-          Cool for 3 hours
-          Cover with the other half of the shell

As mentioned above the kalamay is packed inside a smooth coconut shell and sealed with a red tape. 
The kalamay when exposed to great sunlight decreases shelf life so make sure that the shell is intact and 
no holes around it.

In Jagna the kalamay can be bought 35 pesos per piece or can be bought 3 pieces for 100 pesos. There are 
also now kalamay that is placed in plastic canister round-shaped white Tupperware that is sold for around 
40-50 pesos.

The Calamay also is best served especially if you are doing your past time activities like reading your








Thursday, October 28, 2010

Chocolate Hills

Have you heard of an unusual geological formation? Yes you have read it right a geological formation. What I am talking here are thousands of land formed hills that is spread over a 50 square kilometers land.

Chocolate Hills in Bohol
One of the best tourist destinations in the Philippines is found in the small island of Bohol and called the Chocolate hills. This is composed of 1,776 hills that is scattered in three towns in the interior part of Bohol, the towns namely Sagbayan, Batuan and Carmen wherein the tourism development is based in Sagbayan “Sagbayan Peak” and Carmen “The Chocolate hills”. They are so called the chocolate hills because the green grass that covers the hills turns into brown during the summer or dry season.

Chocolate Hills Recognition
The chocolate hills have been declared as the Philippines 3rd National Geological Monument and once belong to the 7 wonders of the world and are proposed to be included in the UNESCO World Heritage List.

Chocolate Hills Philippines
The hill which is a coned shaped or dome shaped is made up of limestone covered with grass. It is estimated to be at least 1, 268 individual mounds to about 1, 776 mounds. The height of the hills differs from 98 – 160 ft. with the largest being 390 ft.

The chocolate hills have been declared as a geological monument and are covered under the National Integrated Protected Areas System in which being headed by the Department of Environment and Natural Resources. This means that quarrying and mining activities are prohibited in the towns of Sagbayan, Batuan and Carmen where the Chocolate hills are situated.