Ginilu ampo Patulbad

Dr.Maria Roselle C. MALLARI

In the early days when the casamac were usually the people parading the streets of Pampanga as magdarame (flagellants), to observe the fast, they avoided eating any pork dish. Patulbad and ginilu are foods for the souls of the magdarame. The casamac started the flagellation rituals during the colonial period because they could not find any atonement for themselves that would equate the sufferings of Christ, other than to let themselves bleed. Their faith was sincere and their dedication was absolute, as they were scared of the feudal lords and feared that the land they cultivated would be taken away if they didn’t show their extreme devotion to the imposed Catholic religion.

CANDABA

Ginilu ampo Patulbad

PAN 8 - 10

For the Patulbad galapung (glutinous rice) flour asukal (sugar) sesame seeds bulung saging (banana leaves)

For the Ginilu gatang ngungut (coconut milk) gulaman asukal (sugar) dalayap (lime)

Since patulbad and ginilu are basically made out of rice (galapung) and coconut, it’s understandable that the ingredients are obtained from the harvest of these casamac. Eating pork was a cardinal sin during holy week and devotion to the Catholic faith was extreme. The people, however, especially the magdarame, needed to

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eat to get some energy after a day of dripping blood. Ginilu and patulbad are the key food that would rescue them from hunger.

Today, patulbad can be purchased from the wet market. If you cannot find some, prepare it by yourself by combining glutinous rice, flour and water, to create the batter. When well mixed, scoop some into your palm and mold it into a firm shape. Drop this into a pot of boiling water, where it will sink to the bottom. When it floats to the top , that determines that it’s done. You can drop a couple of these at a time, while putting the cooked ones on a tray covered with bulung saging. Top each of them with granulated sugar and ngungut a kinudkud.

In preparing the ginilu, boil water and pour in the gulaman. Add asukal to the gulaman and stir until it starts to thicken. Pour this to a flat tray. When it solidifies, cut in squares of whatever size you wish. Set aside. Pour the gatang ngungut to a container with the pure water from two coconuts and add asukal and water. The amounts depend on the number of glasses you want to serve and how sweet you prefer it to be. Pour in the cut gulaman pieces.

The Patulbad and Ginilu should be served at the same time, as they compliment each other.

I”m a pediatrician by day, and a frustrated chef by night. Being a full-blooded Kapampangan, I dabble, as a ‘pseudo-chef,’ in the resto I put up a few years back. My passion, aside from pediatrics, is cooking hearty meals for our family on weekends, crossfit, and uploading personal photos on social media.