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| The historical Rizal Park |
#Trivia 1: The Kilometer Zero of the Philippines is located at Rizal Park, in front of the Rizal monument.
#Trivia 2: Have you heard of the term "Kusinero de Campanilla"? This refers to high-class professional Filipino cooks that were trained by Spanish colonizers or friars during the 18th century. In the past, their services were hired by elite Filipino families for grandiose feasts. In today's world, they're probably what you'd call "Private Chefs."
#Trivia 3: We all refer to horse-drawn carriages in the Philippines as "Kalesa" (calesa). However, there's a difference between the ones used by the masses and the ones used by Spanish and Filipino aristocrats. The latter's carriages were called "Karwahe" (similar to what was used during the British Royal Wedding).
#Trivia 4: What on earth is Bulanglang? Not to be confused with Bulalo, Bulanglang is a dish in Batangas that's made of green papaya, malunggay leaves, squash, patani beans, kamote tops and upo, cooked in rice stock. Kamias (camias) or tomatoes may be added for souring.
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| The healthy Poque-Poque (foreground) |
#Trivia 5: The pristine Puka Beach in Boracay got its name from Puka shells that were abundant in the area. Puka shell jewelry was made popular by Hollywood icon Elizabeth Taylor in the `70s when she wore one as an accessory. She got it in Hawaii, not in Boracay.
#Trivia 6: In the Tagalog region, Poque Poque sounds like the name of a female sex organ. In the Ilocos region, Poque Poque is actually a tasty dish made from aubergine.
#Trivia 7: The only local biscuit that's named after a virtue is Paciencia, which are round, coin-sized biscuits. What virtue? Patience!
You can also follow me on Twitter @RainTravels for more trivia as well as travel tips!
