fEATURE | FOOD
Scrumptiously ilonggo wriTTen by MDPWN. FRANZESCA MARI B. BAUTISTA PHOTOS by MDPN. MARK JOSEPH D. ALOVERA
“T
he taste of batchoy is the taste of home,” says Mrs. Bautista, an Ilongga who now lives in Tarlac.
The famous Ilonggo specialty originated in La Paz. There are currently 3 stores that are well-known for serving the “original” La Paz batchoy-- Deco’s, Ted’s and Netong’s-- all of which claim to be the inventor of the recipe. The Original Deco’s, which was established by Federico Guillergan Sr. in 1938, is regarded as the origin and father of all batchoy. Although Netong’s started in 1948, 3 years later than Ted’s and 10 years later than Deco’s, they still claim that Leonito “Netong” Guillergan innovated the recipe for batchoy. In fact, it is popularly believed by the Ilonggos that batchoy was created by the Guillergan brothers. Whether it be by Netong or Deco is still unverified. Ted’s, on the other hand, is responsible for the widespread popularity
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of La Paz batchoy. It established branches in the whole Philippines, making batchoy a well-known Ilonggo cuisine. According to an interview with Kusina Master, Adelfa Lepura Borro said that her father, Teoderico “Ted” Lepura, started his business using 10 pesos as capital. Being an errand boy for a Chinese restaurant, Ted created his version of batchoy through observation. Uncelebrated Founder However, this claim was contradicted by Reynold Guillergan, the current owner of Inggo’s batchoy. Mr. Guillergan said that Ted was an errand boy of Domingo Lozada, the founder of Inggo’s. Furthermore, he says that Inggo’s was established in 1921, beating Deco’s by 17 years. Contrary to popular belief, Tatay Inggo was not related to Netong and Deco. He was the father-in-law of
their brother. This was later on verified by Reynold, the grandson of Inggo, and Remy Guillergan, the son and current owner of Deco’s. According to Reynold, the idea of batchoy sparked from “bas-oy” or meatballs dipped in homemade sauce. Twenty-one-year-old Domingo started selling his batchoy on the sidewalk of Luna Street in La Paz, then later on moved to La Paz Market. This story earned them the outstanding pioneer award for food products given by the Iloilo Chamber of Commerce, Industry, Real Estate Builders and Subdivision Owners Association in 1984 Test of Time “I started eating here when I was 12. I’m now 72,” says Mr. Jamora, a loyal customer of Deco’s. The story of batchoy’s origins has many variants. Depending on the source, it may be derived from the word “bac qui” (shredded meat), or “bas oy”.
