For good food, Pampanga is the place to be. Their famous sisig and Kari-Kari are real treats for both locals and tourists alike. But because provinces in the country are still under quarantine, it looks like tasting a sisig or two is but a dream right now.
Not to worry. Thanks to the medical doctors from the Pampanga Medical Society, you can now make Kapampangan dishes right at home. These traditional recipes and more can be found in their collaborative cookbook — “PUPUL: Grassroots Kapampangan Cooking“.
Courtesy of: The Pampanga Medical Society
Meticulously curated and prepared by each of their members, PUPUL is a culmination of the hard work and effort of the doctors from the Pampanga Medical Society. Their intention in creating a book is two things: to share the goodness of Kapampangan cooking to everyone during the pandemic in an easy-to-follow format, and to gather funds for their project — one that will benefit front-liners.
This project was formed when the current president Dr. Alice Tuazon Buan saw the problems encountered by front-liners in Pampanga. PPEs were hard to acquire, especially for those in the local government’s medical facilities. Thus, these doctors thought of a fund-raising campaign that utilized their creativity beyond their medical profession. And what better way to do so than by sharing their well-loved Kapampangan recipes?
Sale Manuk or Chicken in Lemongrass Soup. Photo courtesy of: The Pampanga Medical Society
What is PUPUL?
Pupul is a Kapampangan term that means harvest. According to Dr. Buan, the idea of a harvest exemplifies the idea of the seasonal abundance of food. Plus, it also encapsulates everyone’s common goal of helping their fellow frontliners through art. “Most people see us in a white gown with a hanging stethoscope on the neck. But at the end of the day, we go home to cook and feed our family that is made of pure love from our heart,” Dr. Buan said.
The thoughtfulness and passion are flavors you can smell that make cooking even fun and rewarding. To promote good health, the medical doctors even added a nutrition guide in each recipe for worry-free eating. Aside from that, you can expect to see 30 recipes based on the concept of a 1-month cooking challenge. Yes, this is something easy enough for everyone.
What’s more, the book doesn’t just contain recipes. It even includes stories of childhood memories, which each recipe author believes that everybody can relate to. “It was a rediscovery of ourselves during the process of creation of the book. From the actual cooking of the dish used in the photoshoot up to the tasting where each of us shared our own experience of the food, it brings each of us home,” added Dr. Buan.
Tagilo or Burung Nasi which is fermented rice. Photo courtesy of: The Pampanga Medical Society
Recipes include the sought-after lexicon of Kapampangan originals such as suam mais, kari-kari, gisang tabang talangka, sale manuk, biringi, burung asan, kilayin, and the ever famous sisig! This 155-page, hardbound coffee table book comes at 9 inches by 12 inches in size.
Who is the Pampanga Medical Society?
The Pampanga Medical Society is an 86-year old medical organization based in Pampanga. It is a compendium of medical doctors and health professionals that consolidate their efforts in order to do good and service to the people, most especially to the impoverished members of society. Aside from this, the team highly values the culture and heritage of Pampang. Thus, they conduct projects that give value to cultural preservation. Pupul is one of these projects.
[Also Read: Sizzle Things Up with this Kapampangan Pork Belly Sisig Recipe]
Do you know any other fundraisers that help front-liners? Share them with us!
Special Mention
Book Author and Photographer: Ruston Banal
Editor: Robert Larue
Designer: Gia Hasegawa Tolentino
Publisher: The Pampangan Medical Society
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