Region II (Cagayan Valley): Pancit Batil Patung
Image by Tessa Pagdanganan from flickr.com / (CC BY 2.0)
Being in one of Asia’s “Noodle Nations”, it makes sense to visit the region known for serving the two kinds of pancit that puts emphasis on every Filipino’s favorite part of slurping noodles: the Sahog on top.
The noodle delicacy whose name literally embodies this is Pancit Batil Potun or Pancit Batil Patung from Tuguegarao City, Cagayan. With Panciterias found at literally every block with no chance of missing them, it’s no wonder why tourists aren’t allowed to leave the city without taking on this noodle dish and its crowning glory.
Potun is the Ybanag word for Patung/Patong which means “to put on top”, so you can imagine the reasoning behind its name – but if you don’t, you will after seeing it in front of you.
This pancit is cooked and generously topped with a mountain of carabao meat, an egg, and with a side of the other component of its name – Batil; coming from “Binati/Bati” that means “to beat”, it is a soup made from the same broth used for cooking the pancit, with beaten eggs mixed in and cooked in the same wok where the pancit was cooked. You get the full flavor whether you choose to eat the soup separately or do as the locals do and pour it all over the noodles then slurp away!
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