The Tale of Batchoy, The Ilonggo Mana from Heaven

Iloilo City is known for its extraordinary cuisine. In fact, it has been associated to a bowl of clear soup of noodles topped with pork, beef, chicken and shrimp called Batchoy. It originated La Paz, Iloilo City and is now considered to be the mecca of batchoy.

However, there are conflicting statements as to who invented La Paz Batchoy. It was said that the dish was first tasted at the La Paz Public Market during the 1930's when a butcher, Federico "Deco" Guillergan, Sr., concocted his own noodle soup, much like the Mami being sold in the streets of Manila. The prototype of La Paz Batchoy was simple, it was pansit miki (fresh egg noodles) submerged into a hot kaldo, a broth made of boiled pork and meat, guinamos (Visayan shrimp paste), bone marrow, fried garlic, green onions and pork meat are then topped on the soup dish. Eventually, pork innards were added like, liver, spleen and intestines. And the final innovation of the La Paz Batchoy, the pork crakling, was added and gave the noodle soup dish texture and it's distinct character.

There is another story that in 1945 Teodorico "Ted" Lepura, a former Chinese cook apprentice, opened his batchoyan also at La Paz Public Market. It was said that Mr. Lepura mastered the art of cooking batchoy from an unnamed Chinese immigrant who was believed to be the real Einstein of batchoy.

Whatever story you believe in, whether it's Deco's, Ted's or some unnamed Chinese merchant in Iloilo City invented this dish, one thing still remains, these batchoy gods are being honored with every bowl of La Paz Batchoy we consume.

Filipinos are truly the chosen people.