Catbalogan Tamalos

Do you know where and what that is? Oh well, yes, that would be Tamale (singular) or Tamales (plural) in Mexico and the rest of South America, or even elsewhere in the Philippines like Batangas or Laguna - if at all they still exist! This one I found in Catbalogan City is called Tamalos be it plural or singular! It tastes differently good - there are no eggs, shrimps, chorizos nor chicken! Just pork and the sauce.

But like everywhere else in this country known to have Tamales, Tamalos too is a “vanishing act”! Lest this thing become ‘extinct’ or become just a taste bud memory, let me put it here and now… the things I want to say about how they make the lowly yet delectable Tamalos of Catbalogan!

I was with a friend roaming Catbalogan when she suddenly asked the trike driver to make a detour to head instead to a place in Munoz District, so she could pick up her order of Tamalos - to be brought to another friend, who was to bring those to Manila. Tamalos is reputed by Catbaloganons a memorable local delicacy of/from their city. Needless to say, many who still know Tamalos, but are now domiciled out and far from Catbalogan, long to taste this "hard-to-come-by" comfort food!

Anyway, so we were at the house of Mana Vicky (Rodriguez?). I was allowed in, to have a quick look at the various in-progress 'stages' of how they make Tamalos. Oh boy did I get in, eyes/ears wide open!

This was a very quick fly-by as the trike was waiting, but just the same, I was able to get a few snaps of ‘Tamalos in the making’ and 'Tamalos ready to ship' – these are the photos you see on this article.

OMG wow! I did not imagine that “production” of this delectable concoction takes so many separate stages you would be discouraged to attempt trying to whip up your own version of Tamalos at home. I really thought it's cooked as if you were just doing a chicken curry or kare-kare. It is more than those!

No wonder this venerable viand is slowly disappearing from the lunch tables of many a Waray-Waray family. Aw c’mon, I haven't seen nor heard about Tamalos in the Eastern or Northern Samar provinces. And many folks in or from Western Samar take a few seconds thinking before they could recall what Tamalos is - if, at all they know (or knew) what it is! Some haven't even seen much less tasted one yet!

I chanced upon Mana Vicky (matriarch/proprietor), de-skinning peanuts. She told me those nuts would be ground to powdery consistency later.

A man was busy packing and sealing into plastic bags already-cooked Tamalos that come out of the steamer wrapped in banana leaves.

A youngish lady was busy flattening dough on pre-cut banana leaves, later to be the wrapper of more Tamalos packs.

The ‘sauce’ or whatever it is called was already cooked in its delectable orange-colored splendor and waiting in a big kaldero.

The meat, yep, fried pork and cut into bite chunks (cube-like) was waiting too! Parang fried liempo or crispy pata lang! Serve the beer na! SML please?!

I did not quite see how all those things are separately pre-done nor how those ever get to be wrapped and sealed in banana leaves and unto the steamer! But I saw one gigantic pot (steamer?) hot on fire!

Bottom-line, I just know (and very good at) eating Tamalos…
1) heat the pack still in its banana-leaf-wrap either via a steamer (most rice-cookers have that on top), or tossing it in the microwave (very low setting), or via a pan with boiling water, or by placing it in a still hot and recently cooked pot of rice! Then...
2) Open the banana-leaf-wrapping which is ALWAYS messy haha, let your fork and/or spoon dive and search hoping to get the best chunk of pork hehehe. Then...
3) eat as in EAT!

I hate it when I get the part that has no chunk of fat! Good that no one in the house likes that part, so I get to “barter” when that happens! I swear, the “taba” tastes heavenly mixed with some “unod” and a hefty scoop of the peanut sauce! Yumminess! THAT is what I am a master at. Eating Tamalos, I mean!

Anyway, I did not really imagine there is/was dough in Tamalos. But there is dough, though thinly. And dough notwithstanding, I still wondered how they get to wrap the final concoction unto a banana leaf without dripping out, since the mixture is on the "batter" consistency, save for the chunks of pork.

But I am not man of the kitchen. I am just a man of the table - aka glutton hahaha! I do wonder as I did before, does the banana leaf as wrapper add flavor to the Tamalos? Maybe 'no? Can't the thing be laid in a "llanera" like in leche flan? So its not that messy? Just curious & asking. Ayan, nakialam nanaman!

Hey, speaking of that banana leaf... I remember many years ago, strips of the same leaf were the once used to tie ends of the wrapped Tamalos. Then came a time those were replaced by cotton-twine. But nowadays, they use plastic straw. It melts ugly (is that toxic?) when I heat the Tamalos bare on a pan.

So kelangan pang gunting-guntingin which makes the preparation all the more messy :(

I am inclined to suggest they use something else so there's no melting while heating. Yes, look at that top picture again. The yellow plastic straw has to be replaced. With what, red plastic straw? Whahehe!

By the way, look at that top picture again, these days, when you buy Tamalos, these are already placed in clear heat-sealed plastic bags. There's no more danger of the sauce oozing and dripping-out of that banana-leaf-packaging, even if placed inside your backpack! Whew! That's a relief. For convenience!

In the first place, why must these waray-waray delicacies be messy, 'no?! Remember binagol? It is the same experience, right? You have to get your hands messy just to carry and open, before eating them!

Ah, btw too, I learned that due to customer preferences, Tamalos can now be had in the non-spicy or slightly-spicy versions (all were originally spicy). But, I should warn you, whatever kind of Tamalos you have, watch the rice you eat it with! It can easily be a kaldero-full of carbs - and you'll still drink Coke!

Sinfully glorious food! And what the heck, its not as if you have the luxury of devouring Tamalos every lunch time, right?! Its expensive in the first place and hardly comes by from far Catbalogan Samar.

So, thus and therefore, if you get hold of Tamalos, EAT and be merry! Kay marrrrasa!

Adios Tamalos! 'Til I see you again. Probably next month?! Yummy yum yum yum!