If you're a local, this one needs no introduction!
Bulad, dried fish or simply called buwad here in Cebu is a delight to us all. You can have it for breakfast with some garlic rice and egg, or with sliced tomatoes and red onions for lunch and maybe cooked 'sarsa' style by caramelizing the onions and making tomatoes tender before adding the star of the show. No matter what social class, everyone loves buwad and some make it as their pasalubong when visiting relatives from different provinces. Tabo-an public market easily comes to mind when you want to buy some.
Here are some favorites worth mentioning: Buwad bulinao is cheap and quick to cook. These are small dried fishes that are crispy when fried. These really go well with sliced tomatoes, red onions, garlic, chili all mixed together with some vinegar. You can even add slices of itlog maalat, too! Danggit is the most sought-after type of dried fish, tasty and hella expensive at up to Php 750 per kilo! And yes, you can also buy the tocino and tapa versions of this one. And yes, I could go all day with the tocino ones. Pusit is also a favorite- I mean c'mon, who doesn't love some squid? With several types of seafood big and small, salted or unsalted, there's something for everybody when it comes to buwad.
The best part? It keeps for days up to 3 weeks and maybe even more. The art of drying and salting the fish preserves it while enhancing existing flavors and aromas. This is also similar to the popular western snack, the pork or beef jerky. What's more, pure dried fish is a completely natural product that retains the antioxidant and omega-3 benefits of fresh fish and is high in protein. Be wary though if you're concious about your sodium consumption as some variants tend to beome extra salty. Make sure to load up with some H20 while consuming this treat! And yes, another drawback is that this has the tendency to make you consume more rice than usual- because it's that good.
What's your favorite type of buwad? This post now sure makes me hungry!
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