by Bea Blasabas, Giann Evale, Levy Funtilon and Kim Palgan
While walking around the wide streets and avenues of Davao, I can see assortments of cafés, eateries, and restaurants that prepare tasty and delicious traditional Davaoeño food alongside other Filipino and international delights. Even though there are many dishes that I enjoyed in Davao, from the tasty durian shake to the finger-licking chicken inato, I would still return to Davao’s savory binignit. Although a cross between different cultures, namely Tagalog and Visayan, Davao's binignit will always be distinctly Davaoeño for me because of the unique sweetness and aroma added by the langka and the pinkish color of the soup. For those who haven't tried this Davao pastime, binignit will surely give you heavy cravings and will surely make you want for more.
Looking at the binignit will surely fill you up with warmth and sweetness, forcing you just to satisfy your cravings for it. As you serve yourself with a bowl full, you notice the rich and thick texture of the coconut milk similar that slowly trickles down your spoon, the small, round and soft sago that just stays there in a perpetual and motionless state and eventually colonize the whole bowl and the landang that dissolved in it, gives it the infamous pink color it has that makes it unique. The ingredients you mixed adds to the visual presentation of the dish, the soft and yellow bananas that are just begging to be chomped down, the sweet potatoes that are solid yet easy to bite, the purple yam that blends in with the pink color of the dish and the smooth and yellow langka that adds to the sweetness of the dish.
The smell of binignit from Davao is a scent that captures the essence of Davao. The scent of langka which is common ingredient in the binignit of davao. The scent of the langka with other fresh fruits mixed in the coconut milk attracts nearby people and especially tricycle or jeepney drivers who are tired and those who are getting ready for their work. The smell of Davao's binignit is a smell which can attract everyone who is hungry and needs a quick snack.
Binignit is clearly one of the best merienda, especially during rainy days. It is best served when it’s hot. There’s something in binignit that urges you to eat it. Together with its aroma, the taste is marvellous. It would be described as a rainbow of flavors. The sweetness of the bananas, gabi, sago, sugar, the gooeyness of the malagkit rice gives you the impression of the colorful smack of the cuisine and the unique color pink of the binignit combined together, giving you the typical taste of Davao. Typically, the binignit is sweet but it’s sweeter than sweet because of the presence of langka fruit, common in the region. The sweetness of the ingredients ranges in different levels and it balances each other harmoniously. It gives you the feeling that dominates your taste buds and warms you’re your mouth to the stomach that urges you to finish the whole bowl and ask for second helpings. The moment you eat it, it satisfy not only your hunger but also the craving of that unique sweetness you wanted for so long.
To sum up everything, Davao’s binignit is truly and undoubtedly distinctly Davaoeño not only because of its functions as a relief to hunger and cold-weather dish, but also because of its characteristics such as the delightful pink sight of its mixture, the fragrant langka smell, and the sweet creamy taste of everything from the soup to saba. With this, we have the ultimate Davaoeño delicacy that appeals to both young and old alike, both local residents and foreign tourists, and available for everyone who would like to enjoy a delicacy that can be found nowhere else in the world, the Davao’s savory binignit.
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