Discovering Puso (hanging rice) is something Cebuanos should be proud of

hanging rice

If you are new here in Cebu, you will definitely be amazed by many trivia you should know, from its ethnicity and tradition down to food specialties. Of course the first thing we look after a place is its delicacy, or what we call the pride of their province. Here in the Philippines, we have many delicacies all over different areas and regions.  For example, in Batangas, they have their famous bulalo, in Bicol, they have Bicol express, in Negros, the piaya, in Dumaguete, sans rival, in Bohol, their kisses, in Camiguin, their pastel bread, and here in Cebu, I consider puso, or what is sometimes called “hanging rice” as one of Cebu’s finest and exceptional dish.

Puso is typically boiled rice inside perfectly woven coconut leaves, and flawlessly shaped in diamond. Why is it called hanging rice? Literally, it is hanged rice. Cebuano (people in Cebu) displays their puso in an open area, making it visible and attractive for buyers. They tie it together and hung for storage.

Some people would think that this is just rice, and there’s nothing special about this dish. Yes, it is just rice, but despite its small size, never under estimate its power, for it can compete with the immense food specialties all over the Philippines. What makes it unique among different dishes is that, the idea itself that it is rice has been altered completely through its presentation. Although its presentation may seem to be not that practical, being wrapped inside leaves, but this distinctiveness in appearance makes it place at the top of the rest. The coconut leaves are presented really well that it can be named as an “indigenous masterpiece of weaving”.  Its presentation has just one simple aim, to let consumers enjoy their eating of rice in a different way. With so much cleverness from the discoverer of puso, comes the greatest shift it has encountered by touching the lives of Cebuanos. Everywhere you are in Cebu, you will always find a store selling puso, even in the smallest provinces in the tiniest markets. Eating puso has become a part of great Cebuano culture and tradition.

Some of our very own Filipino citizens do not know what puso is. Filipinos not from Cebu, especially in Luzon area and even in some places in Visayas and Mindano really do not have an idea what puso looks like, or what it is made of and for what it is used. I should say that if they can find time to visit Cebu, they should complete their trip by ending it with a stomach – full meal with their favorite Filipino barbecue and chicken inasal (roasted chicken) paired with puso. You can now experience a touch of Cebuano culture.

But how is puso done? I am sure that every Cebuano has tasted this puso but not everyone knows how it is done, and I am one of the many. All my life I thought that the first step to make puso was to cook rice, and then right after it is cooked, the maker will get a handful of it, and place it inside the woven coconut leaves. But then, I was stunned by the fact that, coconut leaves are weaved first, rather than boiling the rice. Well, if it wasn’t for this essay, I would not have known the real process of making puso.

                I am going to tell you that as my first time watching the process of preparing puso, I can say that it is simple and easy to do. But of course sometimes, the simplest looking stuffs are the most difficult to achieve. The most crucial part here is the weaving of the coconut leaves, after that, effortless procedures will follow.

'lukay' or young coconut leaves

You need to prepare first the ingredients; you need to have a ‘lukay’ (young coconut frond), with two leaves, this serves as the ‘bag’ for the rice, then your rice as the main ingredient. As what I had written, weaving the coconut leaves is the crucial part, and thus making it the highlight of puso making.

'palwa' - used as source of fire

barrels - used for boiling the puso

I interviewed a puso maker from our town, in Minglanilla (a province in south of Cebu). She was making puso for almost twenty years now and this had become her family’s source of income. Her name is Marlyn. She told me that the process of making puso basically has only a few steps. First, you need to remove the hard part of the leaves, thus making it easy to weave. For an expert, weaving the coconut leaves may only take around 30 seconds. I was amazed by the way she weaved the lukay. She was doing it so fast, to the extent that I got dizzy following her every move with her very fast hands. I should say that Marlyn had made countless weaved coconut leaves for the past 20 years. I should not have been amazed that she was doing it at the span of only half a minute! The coconut leaves are now formed into packages. After the package is formed, these are now half filled with uncooked rice, allowing enough space for the rice to expand after it boils. After putting rice, the package is closed by knotting the open end; this makes sure that rice won’t escape when it is boiled. Once sealed it is now placed inside a barrel with boiled water in an open heat (Marlyn said that water should be boiled for at most two hours) and then cooked for 20 -30 minutes, depending on size. They used ‘palwa’ or the egde of a dry coconut branch as source of fire instead of wood because it is cheaper and easy to be found. After a couple of minutes of cooling puso, these are now delivered to many big barbecue stalls at the sidewalk, or at the market to be displayed, or to be sold directly to the consumers. One package ranges from at least two pesos to a maximum of five pesos, depending on size and labor, but if consumer buys directly at a producer, he can possibly get discounts.

At these processes, even one can start a business of puso production by just having the simple and basic background in weaving a puso. All you need is a tutor on how to weave puso, and then you can now put up a small business. Surprisingly, there are many kinds of puso (preferring to the style of weaving) than most Cebuanos ever imagined. According to Biologist Buliklik (a blogger and researcher on puso art), there are fourteen kinds of puso weaving style, namely, kinasing – from rootword “kasing” or the toy top; binaki – from the rootword “baki” or frog; binabba – from the rootword “baba” or the mouth/something carried at the back; tinigib – from the rootword “tigib” or the chisel; pinagi – from the rootword “pagi” or the ray fish; linangbay (crab); binaobao (turtle); linalaki (masculine); binabaye (feminine); binituon (star); tam (fat); sinako (sack); bunga gapas (fruit of cotton);  tinikod (heel); and pinawikan (green turtle). In reality, almost all of these weaving varieties are forgotten. Among these styles, the most common are the binaki and the kinasing, because these are easy to weave.

puso paired with Filipino barbecue

After knowing the different processes and kinds of puso, the question now is, why does it still exist now, when we have all the technology and development to make better versions of rice? It just proves our being loyal as Filipinos to our culture towards food. This is one major reason for the continuation of the existence of puso. On the other hand, literally, puso has many advantages especially when we talk about accessibility. Whenever families have parties or fiestas, puso is used over the normal cooked rice. In outdoor getaways, especially on the beach, we buy puso for easy carry of things. Puso can also be considered as an “all-around rice” that can be paired with any dish especially lechon (roasted pig) and dinuguan (blood stew), but best paired with barbecue and chicken inasal (the usual Filipino way). Unlike boiled rice, puso is still good to eat for about 2 to 3 days because of its packaging inside coconut leaves while boiled rice just stays fresh for just a few hours. Another benefit is that, you can eat puso at your will anytime, anywhere because puso is available everywhere in Cebu and it is very handy. When eating puso, we not just enjoy it by eating it ‘kinamot’ (eating with bare hands), but unknowingly, the act of eating it reflects a real Filipino culture.

According to a blogger, Puso has continued to be trendy in the Philippines due to the large number of open-air eateries serving grilled chicken and pork meals. This is true indeed. I myself prefer to eat in eateries and enjoy the taste of perfectly paired puso and barbecue. How about you? Are you ready to enjoy puso as well?

I am a pure Cebuana and this revealing article makes me proud even if it only shows a small thing. It may be small, but it has already given a big impact to the lifestyle and culture to us Cebuanos, and not just to Cebuanos but also to those people who had witnessed the delectable features of puso.

Bibliography:
Marlyn. Personal Interview. 15 October 2011


Langyaw. Sojourns and Off-the-Beaten Path Travels

http://langyaw.com/2009/09/08/puso-cebus-heart-of-rice/, 


PUSO
http://www.flickr.com/groups/samarleyte/discuss/72157594482474953/#comment72157594483500222, 


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