Visiting Iloilo city in the southeast part of Panay island would be so thrilling like any other places in the Philippines. For every travel episode, you need to find out the cultural background of a place you’re clocking in. Usually, looking at a diverse culture includes the food, which locals are used to consume from time to time. These cuisines are then blended to perfection over a period of time. Subsequent to the advertisement through the word of mouth, an emblem is created in connection to the name of the people and their respective location.

Filipinos, excluding the Ilonggos, doesn’t really know what La Paz Batchoy is all about. This food is apparently rampant all over the Philippine archipelago. Frankly, I really didn’t know where it came from at first hand, even though I usually request for one in any Filipino restaurant I used to dine. I’ve always thought it’s just because I quite like the food and I did not bother to know its circumspect. And a complete realization came when I did a group travel to Iloilo with my buddies during the mid-summer season of 2012.

La Paz Batchoy, is a noodle soup originated from the district of Iloilo City called La Paz. It contains round noodles, pork organs, pork cracklings (crushed), beef loin, deep fried garlic, sliced spring onions, and pork broth. It is so aromatic that when your olfactory gland catches its spiced whiff, you couldn’t help yourself but to drool and to helplessly devour the dish in no time. The soup’s taste can be traced at the junction of salty and sweet. For me, gulping the liquid component is compared to drinking an affordable elixir. In contrast to chinese noodles, Ilonggo’s round noodle is more of about texture and fluffiness. The former is more refined and “al dente” than the latter. As observed, La Paz Batchoy has been hailed as one of the famous Filipino noodle soups ever created. That is why it is being incorporated on most Filipino restaurants here and abroad.

Unverified claim reveals that it is Federico Guillergan Sr. who concocted the dish in 1938. However, an assumption also shows that Teodoro Lepura learned the basics of making one in the 1930s, and established a Batchoy canteen in 1945. Both personas have their own chain of Batchoy restaurant scattered over the Philippines today, namely “Deco’s” for Federico and “Ted’s” for Teodoro. The original store of these 2 famous Batchoy cafes are still erected in the heart of the district of La Paz, Iloilo City. Though another account traces the origin of Batchoy from Chinese history, this is yet to be proven.

I would consider this deli as my seasonal comfort food. I usually order one as a prelude to my main entree or better call it “a prequel to my main dish.” This has been a habit for quite sometime now, given the circumstance that I’m having a good tummy-filling session in any Filipino restaurant. In addition, I prefer to eat this during dinner or on a rainy day because it doesn’t just give me a “good feel” about the gloomy weather but also helps in temperature regulation of my anatomy. In Iloilo, Batchoy comes in synergy with puto. So expect that you get really stuffed after your hearty Batchoy meal.

Please don’t forget to ink Batchoy as your first indulgence if ever you have plans traveling to Iloilo. It really feels different if you consume Batchoy in the place where it originated. Enjoy and let your stomach tell you the verdict :).