Tropical Fruits that marked Antipolo's Identity

Antipolo, the capital city of the province of Rizal. Here in the Philippines, Antipolo is noted as the "Pilgrimage City". This is a place where Filipinos go to honor the patron for every kind of journey, Our Laday of Peace and Good Voyage. But aside from this divine identification, there are other things which identify this city.
As we often mention in our other blogs, Antipolo has its own festival, specifically, the Maytime Festival called the SuMaKaH festival.
Su - Suman, the famous rice dessert of the city
Ma- Manga, Mango in English, a tropical fruit mostly found here
Ka- Kasoy, Cashew in English, another tropical fruit.
H - Hamaka, Hammock in English

This festival is the reflection of the rich culture of Antipolo. Probably we will discuss more on this festival in our other blogs. We already mentioned about suman in our past article Antipolo Dessert that will embrace you. You can check it anytime.

(the human size statues of Suman, Mango and Cashew at Antipolo Plaza)

When you mentioned Suman you are mostly referring to Antipolo. Suman is connotated with this city as its main product. Well aside from that. The MaKa in SuMaKaH also stand as one of Antipolo's distinction. So when you say Mangga (mango) or Kasoy (cashew) the immediate thing that comes to a person's mind is Antipolo. Yes! these tropical fruits mark the identity of the city.

The Philippines is known for its tropical fruits and the famous among the list are these two, Mango and Cashew. Here in Antipolo we have this quote that: "You are not from Antipolo if you were not able to eat a single Cashew" since cashew is rampant in this place. Well, before. As the city became populated thousands of Cashew trees, as well as Mango trees, were cut down.

Cashew is one of the trademark product of Antipolo. Like any other places in the world which have their specialty foods, we also have our own which happens to be the cashew. In our contest number 2, Steemph.antipolo Contest Number 2 Featuring-Antipolo Foods and Delicacies, @rojellyannsotto's entry is about this tropical fruit. In her blog entitled, THis is My Entry for Steemph.antipolo Featuring- Antipolo Food and Delicacies, she featured Cashew and its benefits.

Cashew Pesto Sauce

Here in Antipolo, the seeds of this nut are much appreciated rather than the fruit itself. There many ways to use Cashew or Kasoy. Aside from different version of its cooked seed, some restaurants here use it as n additional twist to their masterpieces. in a local dish called kare-kare, instead of using peanuts as a sauce base, a famous local Restaurant, Marisons, uses Cashew/Kasoy. Then there is a local entrepreneur who owns a personal line of products. She uses Cashew in one of her creations, Cashew pesto sauce.

Kasoy houses a lot of employment and business here in Antipolo. Since it is loved by both tourists and locals, this little yellow fruit is changing lives. There is a place here in the city where you can find different cashew based products. This is called the Pasalubong Center. Patronizing such products can give a living to plenty of Antipolenos.
You have not experienced Antipolo if you have not tasted Cashew. You will surely love this tasty treat.

On the other hand, Mango is common in other parts of the country. In fact, it is our National Fruit. So what made it special here in Antipolo. It is because mangoes is a major crop in old Antipolo days. There were a lot of mango farm here during the Spanish era. In other words, before Mango get even known in the entire country it is popularly known in this city. Steemian @mariejoycajes featured mangoes in her blog My Entry for Steemph.antipolo Featuring- Antipolo Food and Delicacies💖. In this blog, she discussed the different types of Mangoes and how we prepare to eat it :) . Mangoes can be eaten riep or not. Ripe mangoes are sweet while unripe are sour and crispy.

(unripe mango sticks with bagoong)

Mangoes are best paired with a fermented shrimp, Alamang. You should try this perfect pair when you travel here in the Philippines to experience Filipino life. Once you tasted it you will definitely crave for more. The crispness of fresh mangoes sometimes sour or a little sweet matches the sauteed Alamang. Alamang appears to be a shrimp paste balanced in the combination of sweet, sour, spicy salty blend. Its seventh heaven having this food around.

(ripe mango with ice cream)

Cashew and Manggo. Two delectable fruits that can be turned into a lot of food version. It can be a beverage, a viand, a dip, a salsa... name it this two fruit is very flexible. This blog will not be finished if we will enumerate its flexibility.

Here in Steemph.antipolo, we are proud of our homeland and how it is being known by other people. Thru our famous Shrine, or suman, the hospitable people or by Mangoes or Cashews, we will never stop introducing it to Steemians worldwide. When you visit the Philippines, don't forget to drop at our city. We will be pleasured to host you. A bunch of Mangoes and Cashews is waiting for you as well.

We are more than glad to be known as the city which houses this two palatable versatile healthy fruits.
Come and experience Antipolo life. Have a dose of Mangoes and Cashews.

Note: photo credits to @michealkey, @mariejoycajes and @rojellyannsotto