Karasa: Celebrating Catbalogan's Culinary Traditions

“Karasa” means “delicious” in the Samarnon language. Aptly, this is the title of the new book on culinary traditions of Catbalogan City in Samar province in the Philippines. Karasa: Celebrating Catbalogan’s Culinary Traditions is a book project of retired Associate Justice of the Philippines Supreme Court, Antonio Eduardo B. Nachura. The book has five chapters – Chapter 1 gives a background on the history and culture of Catbalogan City that explains the culinary traditions. Chapter 2 centers on the everyday food of Catbaloganons – the seafood from Maqueda Bay and the farm products that are stewed, grilled, pickled and steamed. Chapter 3 is about the fiesta fare – the delicious meat dishes from the Spanish era and the food brought by our Chinese ancestors. Chapter 4 is about Sumsuman (in Filipino, this is “Pulutan”) the food that goes with the “protracted” drinking sessions of the Catbaloganons. The last chapter is dedicated to “Postre,” the sweet delicacies with stories and heirloom re