A Review: The Good Friday “POTAHE” (dish)
It is the tradition in our town to prepare nilubihang utan sa panahon sa Biyernes Santo. Napulo ug duha ka matang sa utanon ang isahog sa maong potahe ug ang ika-13 mao ang isubak niini. This is symbol of Jesus Christ and the 12 apostles.
There was a time when ang mga sänga (a kind of big fish) was in abundance. People from nearby Pamilacan Island were very good sa pagpamilak ani nga klase sa isda. Ug niadtong panahona, among isubak ang sänga sa among Good Friday nga potahe ug lamian gyud kaayo. Apil pa ang pagi ug balilan.Pagkalamian!
When we were young, our grandparents and parents would tell us to look for vegetables within our yard for the Biyernes Santo dish. Diha miy bago, ganas, tangkong, alugbati, kamunggay, kalbasa, ubi, monggoes, tambalijong, saluyot, kujapa, ug puso sa saging. I still remember that before the observance of Holy Week, my Lola Danday would buy several lapa sa sänga ug banggis for our dinner on Spy Wednesday. Mahinumdum gyud ko nga aron makabarato, mag-andam gyud to siya daan ug tinuhog nga sänga ug buwad nga pagi.Usahay,magsugba mi ug sänga unya among palupaluhon (aron mahumok) sa dili pa ituslob sa suka sinagulan ug kamatis nga guwang apil na ang sibuyas dahonan. What a perfect dish!
There were also times when Lino Real would prepare nilabog nga sänga. I do not know if our young people today are familiar with this kind of dish. The late Lino is always remembered today, especially during the Semana Santa. He was, all the time, ready in preparing the food for the carro team during Spy Wednesday and Good Friday.
My family used to be assigned to the task of food preparation, but this year, and the other year, amidst the pandemic, we gave the role to Melmel and Michae Micutuan. Ang 13 nga klase sa mga kinahanglan sa Biernes Santo nga potahe giandam ni Marsing, ang akong sinaligan nga “cook on call”. It was Marsing who gathered the vegies available in my garden.
Ang mamilak sa sänga wala na dinhi karon kay wala na gyud kini tuguti karon. If one does the pamilak ug sänga today, he/she will be put to prison as the specie and some other species are becoming extinct. So, now, we will be contented with tinap-an nga tulingan o dili ba kaha dagkong buwad nga isda aron isusbak sa Good Friday nga potahe.
This time it is also okay to put shrimps into the dish. Lamian pud ug pasayan ang isubak. Last Semana Santa I told Marsing to cook the shrilmps first in salt and in ginger. And when the cooking was almost done, I told her to pour in little cooking oil. And Marsing put in hard boiled eggs for a twist.
Ug lamian gihapon ang among 13 nga klase sa utanon alang sa Biernes Santo nga potahe. Did you try preparing this dish?
Anyway, I am sure that it is not yet late to say, Happy Easter to everyone!!! Easter is always in our hearts as it is our “life after deat”. My Easter wish is always expressed in my prayers for Covid to go so we could be back to our normal lives.
Stay safe everyone!!!
A Good Friday dinner prepared by Melmel and Michael Micutuan. We always serve this dinner after the procession.
The “Nazareno” passing by.