One thing I distinctly remember in my first visit to Dumaguete in 2007, I bought this delicacy which I thought was the typical suman (a glutinous rice cake wrapped in banana leaves). The vendor at the market told me its a Budbud Kabog (some spelled Budbod or bod-bod), which at first I thought was their local term for suman. As I unwrapped a piece while sitting at the boulevard, its distinct aroma caught me that this wasn’t ordinary. The grains also looks finer. A bite made a lot of difference as the delicacy quickly melts in my mouth spreading a rich delightful flavor hint of coconut flavor that’s moderately sweet. So this is Budbud Kabog!
The Market Painitan
Having returned to Dumaguete, we made sure our group get to have a Budbud Kabog snack before leaving. We trooped to a Painitan in the Dumaguete Public Market. A Painitan is an eatery usually opens early morning for breakfast. It is also a local term for “warm-up” since people usually go here for hot coffee or chocolate early in the morning. Painitans are easy to find as they are situated in rows at the market. This is also the best place to find Budbud Kabog.
Tanjay’s Budbud Kabog
Budbud Kabog are not really made in Dumaguete, most of them came from the town of Tanjay, about an hour away from Dumaguete up north. It would be interesting to visit one of their factories there in the future but we have to be really early as they make these delicacies as early as 3am in the morning and bring them here in time for breakfast.
Budbud Kabog are not really rice cakes as they are made of millet seeds which are said to be rich in vitamins and nutrients like wheat. The word Budbud are actually rice cakes while Kabog are millets. Budbud Kabog comes in different variety. The cheaper ones about P10 have mixes of rice, millets and varieties like tsokolate (chocolates). The more expensive ones about P25 per piece are made from pure millets. Sometimes they mix in fruits like mangoes with the millets. Budbud Kabog can last 3-4 days after manufacturing them provided they are stored properly in a refrigerator. They are best eaten with a small cup of pure tsokolate.
Oh we were very satisfied we got to have a Budbud Kabog snack and take home a few with us as we left Dumaguete.
Ferdz Decena is an award-winning travel photographer, writer and blogger. His works has found print in publications such as Singapore Airlines’s Silver Kris, Philippine Airlines’ Mabuhay, Cebu Pacific’s Smile and Seair InFlight. He has also lent his expertise to various organizations like the Oceana Philippines, Lopez Group Foundation, Save the Children and World Vision, contributing quality images for their marketing materials.