"Villasis is booming, many industries are flourishing, trade and commerce are doing well, but tupig, one little cheap food remains to soar high with pride from the community."

I would say that the town of Villasis is a booming due to its strategic location. Little players in the market and business sectors tend to vanish being replaced by bigger investments. Like Urdaneta City, Villasis in Pangasinan is a town loved by traders. I checked out the Villasis Public Market and Bagsakan Center and it was a busy place. Sacks of agri-products, mangoes, etc were dropped there. But in spite of big businesses and trades, I noticed a little part of their local economy that has managed to survive - the Tupig vendors and makers!


Tupig Pangasinan
Tupig Vendor for a minute
Maps by Wikipedia
Location Highlighted in Red
Coming from Urdaneta City, I told the bus driver to drop me at Villasis, Pangasinan.

As usual, I always end up walking along the streets of new destinations at high noon and it was undeniably hot.

I was dropped at the Bagsakan Center of the town and everyone seemed to be very busy. Since I am rushing to accomplish my 112 on 2012 travel challenge wherein I am set to explore 112 towns and cities this 2012 and create a blog entry about those 112 places, I tried my best to discover what Villasis has to offer.

Tupig Stalls in Villasis Pangasinan
At the side of the market, I noticed an array of stalls usually with yellow color and I approached those. The vendors were waving before me saying, "Dito ka na sir! Bili ka na dito!"

I had no idea what they were offering me. So when I finally decided which stall to see, I did not expect that tupig was the star of the day!

I really never have thought that tupig could be found in Villasis, Pangasinan too and I was just happy to discover it. It was also interesting that this little business continue to survive and compete in the ever diversifying market.

Tupig is made up of glutinous rice and grated coconut wrapped with a banana leaf and then cooked over coal.

I have been eating tupig since I was a kid and it is nice to know that tupig is a thriving local product and delicacy in this part of Pangasinan.

Another photo-op, thanks to manang Lumen for taking this photo :)

So the lesson I learned in Villasis is that never underestimate the little things because the role of the small could be as big as you could imagine.

Yes, Villasis is booming, many industries are flourishing, trade and commerce are doing well, but tupig, one little cheap food remains to soar high with pride from the community.

It was cheap at 5 pesos each but it carries the whole big town of Villasis, so if we say Tupig Pangasinan, people will turn their eyes to Villasis -- that was the rule, small commodity with huge impact. Rock and Roll Tupig! \m/

About the Taste: Tupig is a sweet kakanin,  it tastes like a bibingka with smoother texture and that the coconut-ish taste is prominent. It is common in the Ilocos Region and to Ilocano-speaking provinces like Tarlac and Nueva Vizcaya.
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Axact

EDMAR GUQUIB y DEL CASTILLO

Born and Raised in Vigan, Philippines. Hardcore Ilocano-Cordilleran. Professional Nurse on Weekdays. Coffee Addict. Travel Blogger in Between. For collaboration or partnership, email your business proposal at admin@edmaration.com.

Post A Comment:

18 comments:

  1. Tupig is popular in those parts of Pangasinan. Madami tinderong naakyat sa mga bus sa Villasis and Carmen, Rosales.

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  2. Oo nga eh, napansin ko 'yun. Never visited Eastern Pangasinan until recently :)
    Now I know:) hehe..

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  3. dami nito sa pangasinan and even tarlac, nagkalat sa daan. my husband is from pangasinan so sawa ko dito, not fan of this food pero masarap naman. btw, i like you 112 challenge. good luck!

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  4. Oo nga mich eh, na-igno ako marami talaga dito, haha...
    Btw, thanks. 6 months to go :)

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  5. Namalengke ako sa Villasis Bagsakan last Saturday bago dumiretso dito sa Manila :D

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  6. Mica, waaahh talaga? Ang sarap bumili dun!

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  7. Tupig pala tawag dun! Hehe! Miss your page.. New look ba to? I like it. :3

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  8. I'm from villasis. ..tuwing magbakasyon ako from abroad my sis inlaw,sister, niece always buy for me without fail. At pagbalik abroad hindi nawawala pasalubong para sa mga kaibigan. Mura na,masarap at bigger piece pa unlike those nagttinda sa bus. Iba ang tupig sa villasis tara na. .mabuhay villasis

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  9. guolisha on May 28, 2012 10:42 PM said...

    Tupig pala tawag dun! Hehe! Miss your page.. New look ba to? I like it. :3
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    Hey Trisha! Naks, I'm glad you missed me (my blog) hahaah! Yup! I have made several changes especially on how the front page looks! :)

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  10. Anonymous said...

    I'm from villasis. ..tuwing magbakasyon ako from abroad my sis inlaw,sister, niece always buy for me without fail. At pagbalik abroad hindi nawawala pasalubong para sa mga kaibigan. Mura na,masarap at bigger piece pa unlike those nagttinda sa bus. Iba ang tupig sa villasis tara na. .mabuhay villasis
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    I love your Tupig Anonymous :)

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  11. I'm an avid fan of Filipino food, never tried Tupig, napa Google tuloy ako. Thanks for sharing Edmaration!

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  12. I love Pinoy Foods and I never heard about Tupig. What can you say about the taste of Tupig?

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  13. Bacolod City Guide on May 29, 2012 3:31 AM said...

    I'm an avid fan of Filipino food, never tried Tupig, napa Google tuloy ako. Thanks for sharing Edmaration!
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    You are welcome :)

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  14. Joe from Filipino Recipes on May 29, 2012 3:41 AM said...

    I love Pinoy Foods and I never heard about Tupig. What can you say about the taste of Tupig?
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    Hi Joe, sorry for that haha.. I forgot to include some reviews, hahaa.
    I'll be updating the post, thanks for the heads up :)

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  15. Mas masarap pa rin ung tupig sa Ilocos!(bias lang.hehe)

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  16. ^^ Bwahahaha!
    Dahil nasabi mo yan. I agree kailian, hahaha!

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  17. tupig! mahirap kainin, nadikit lagi yung sunog na dahon hehe

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  18. Haha. Napansin m rin pala un christian. :))

    ReplyDelete

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