Tags: Exotic Food, Truly Pinoy Food and Drinks
By Alexander Villafania
SAN FERNANDO, PAMPANGA – Snakes, beetles, crickets — basically things that are considered as gastronomical taboos in most urban cities – are considered delicacies in Pampanga.
But the Kapampangans do not stop there. One of their more exotic foods is betute tugak (not to be mistaken for the puffer fish generally called butete), which is basically deep fried stuffed frogs. It’s basically another version of the relleno, which can be the form of chicken or fish.
Kapampangans are actually proud that their betute is very unique to them. This can be attributed to the fact that the frogs they use as main ingredient for this delicacy are rice field frogs, which eat small insects. These are actually larger than the normal frogs that are sold for food in most wet markets. However, smaller sized frogs are still good enough to make betute.
The people of Pampanga do have a history with these field frogs. A post in the forum Kapampangan Aku (I am a Kapampangan) notes that farming families actually used the time capturing these frogs to bond with their families. The rituals of catching frogs were handed down to the next generation, although the number of people who still catch frogs have dwindled.
First-time eaters might get a bit squeamish; a fat, headless frog is displayed on a plate and is served with tomatoes and cucumber. But then, hunger and curiosity kicks in and you are left with no choice but to grab hold of a leg, like fried chicken only much smaller. It actually tastes like chicken, the taste enhanced by the stuffing made of ground pork.
With the advent of the Internet, many bloggers, especially those who focus on food, have shared their own experiences with eating betute tugak. Blogger Maiel said that she never liked reptiles (frogs are amphibians, by the way) but changed her mind about eating exotic animal foods after eating betute.
Anton Diaz of Our Awesome Planet also wrote about eating Betute at Everybody’s Café, a restaurant in San Fernando known for serving exotic cuisine.
Surprisingly, it’s not easy to find a betute recipe on the Internet. Perhaps there is no need for one since it is simple to make – unless you are particularly squeamish about frogs.
Photos taken from Tsibugan sa Pinas and Richard Macalino
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