Bandi: The Ultimate and Candied Pasalubong of the South Words by Mdpn. Jan Reynard L. Galilea and Kristelle Joy G. Erazo Photos by Carl Ed L. Mendoza
Have you ever had the experience of asking permission from your boss to take a trip? or telling your friends to go somewhere else? If yes, then you know what comes next. “Pasalubong” has always been associated with our travels, especially if we will be visiting places miles away from our hometowns, those that are not readily available back home, or those that represent the destination well.
The Sweetness of the South
Sweets play a huge part in the Filipino food culture. Every meal should end with something sweet that is palatable to all ages. On the southern part of Iloilo lies a town that became the center of pasalubong for those who had traveled from Antique and other southern provinces. San Joaquin has been famously known for its sweet delicacy, the Bandi. Bandi is a popular delicacy made from roasted peanuts and caramelized sugar. It comes in a variety of forms and sizes, packed with a compelling combination of the bursting sweetness of sugar and the slight bitterness of the peanuts. The tradition of making bandi originated in the town of San Joaquin, more specifically in one of its barangays named Qui-Anan. Along the roadside of Brgy. QuiAnan, several shops selling bandi and other similar sweet delicacies can be seen. San Joaquin is the last municipality before you can set foot on the border of Antique Province. Numerous buses and vans carrying passengers, including tourists from different places, pass by every day. Most of the time, drivers would
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love to ask if someone will be buying “pasalubong,” after which they will stop at certain stores. Bandi- making was a common livelihood among the families in San Joaquin over the years. Most of the stores in the area are often passed down from one generation to another, inheriting and continuing the making of the said native delicacy. No wonder why San Joaquin was dubbed as the “Bandi Capital of Western Visayas” and the “Peanut Brittle Capital of the Philippines.”
The Sweetness After Sweats
Competition among the Bandi stores is inevitable. Rose and Lourdes Store is one of the stores that is famous among local customers and tourists. Mr. Isidro Esconebra, owner of the store, shared that Bandi’s business started a long time ago. It became a source of income for his family and has provided them with most of their needs. “It was the only source of income during my childhood, and our family strived to improve our business until it became what it is now,” Mr. Esconebra e x pre s s e d .