Pangasinan Food Tour 2014: Mangaldan

Undying Filipino staple

One of the things that define our mornings as Filipinos is the undying breakfast staple, tapsilog, which stands for tapa, sinangag (fried rice) and itlog (egg).

Over the years and after several experimental touches, new versions have been concocted served as hearty meals to start the day of the hardworking Filipino. We started eating longsilog (longanisa, sinangag at itlog), tocilog (tocino, sinangag at itlog), bangsilog (bangus, sinangag at itlog) and other combinations dished up by the practical Filipino kusinero.

Mama Cela, however, stuck to tapa and made a living out of this original Pinoy pride. Mangaldan is a town in Pangasinan known for tapa. While others continue to sell the product in the public market, Mama Cela has stood out, established a one-stop shop for her products at the heart of the town, and became an empress of meat products and more.

Tapa, strips of beef, or carabao meat that are salted and seasoned, is what Mangaldan is known for. Ask where you can find the best tapa in Pangasinan and everyone will surely point you to this town.

Evidently, her hard work which started when she was just a kid paid off and led her to where she is now. And during our food tour, she had been generous enough to let us taste what exactly she and her business have been known for—tapa. But, it wasn’t the regular tapsilog that she and her trusted employees served to us on the second day of the tour.

Cooked during the demo rendered by Ate Joan, an English-speaking employee who sounds like British, their take on the famous dish originating from Dagupan City, pigar-pigar, had been served to spectators circling around the sweet sounding pan over the dancing flame of the stove.

After several minutes of waiting and salivating over a lip curling treat, everyone took hold of a toothpick, ready to lunge any moment.

True enough, our expectations had been met. Perhaps, even exceeded. The tender meat touching our tongue oozed with a flavorful taste that would make you crave for more.

What makes Cela’s tapa special?

Simple. They use carabao meat and beef and mix together the right amount of ingredients and process it the right way. Couple the whole thing with humility and the business will surely get a natural boost.

No wonder, after many years, Mama Cela’s Meat Products continue to become a hit, and a trend as we say in the modern times. The community they built within the enterprise continues to grow stronger, too. Well, I must say, our visit to Mama Cela’s comfortable and warm abode was one of the tastiest food encounters during the food tour. One heaven of a delight!