The Sought-After Patcu and Why It Has Nothing to Do with Christmas
Julita Lagman, 92, is said to be the oldest patcu maker, and she believes her family in Sta. Filomena, Guagua, were the ones who introduced the crepe-based delicacy.
Julita, or Dang Litang, as she is commonly called, offered her time to be interviewed for the first time about the story of this very important culinary heritage of Guagua and Sta. Rita. The patcu, which is sold during the holiday season from September to December, has been romanticized in numerous feature presentations, whether on broadcast television or online news organizations, including the magazine show called Byahe ni Drew. But there is no mention of this delicacy’s provenance, which may be traced back to the Lagman family of Sta. Filomena in Guagua, Pampanga.
Dang Litang, who is now 92 years old, recalls being a practicing pharmacist when her older sister, Elena Lagman De Mesa, introduced her to the patcu-making procedure. “I remember that I was experimenting on how to do the same quality Elena did, but we had several attempts before I was able to recreate it,” Litang said. This was in the 1960s.
This was confirmed by Gloria Lagman, sister-in-law of the Lagmans, who became part of the family in 1966 when she married the youngest of the siblings, Filomeno “Meming” Lagman. Gloria, a native of Dila-Dila in Sta.Rita, and who is now based in the US, recalls that Dang Elena and Dang Litang were already making patcu when Meming was still courting her. “This was a family delicacy that they prepared for every important celebration. During that time, they were the only ones I knew who made it as a family,” Gloria explained.
“According to Dang Litang, they have never prepared patcu with the intention of selling it. “Perhaps those relatives and friends who tried it began experimenting with it and saw the potential to sell. Maybe that is why there are so many families selling this today. But it’s all right,” she said.”
The origin of the term patcu is difficult to trace, but given the area where this dish is produced, Guagua, which was a former pariancito that was inhabited by Chinese in the 19th century, the term may have come from the Hokkien word padpo (pronounced patpu), a dish that looks similar to lumpia and is a vegetable mix with nuts and thick sauce.
In San Roque, Guagua, some few kilometers from where the Lagman resides is the Yusi Family. The Yusi Family are present-day patcu vendors led by Teresita Yusi who shared that she got the recipe from a certain Peping Castro who were the first family that started to commercialize the delicacy. “ My sister in law got it from Peping but I only started doing it in the late 80s prior to the eruption of Mt. Pinatubo, “ Teresita shared.
Teresita explained that her patcu is quite different from the conventional thin and translucent crepe but she uses glutinous rice and roast the patcu using clay pot and charcoal put on top of a galvanized sheet, which works like a mini oven. It’s the same procedure when cooking a bibingka.
On the other hand, the Lagman patcu as presented by Dang Litang, uses a rounded pan to maximize surface area. Cassava powder is the special ingredient that gives the patcu its appearance and has been traditionally use to achieve the thin layer with burnt edge surface. She uses oil to season and “grease” the pan’s surface.
“For Dang Litang, patcu is not just an heirloom recipe in the family but a versatile food that can be easily made by anyone and enjoyed by everyone. It’s a dish that allows for creative interpretation, and she believes it is food for everyone.”
Gloria explained that patcu’s standard form is thin, with a small, rounded shape when spread on the pan. “When rolled, it’s an easy bite because they are small. Makunyat ya rin! The Lagmans are a big family. The small size would mean everybody could have a taste of it,” she explained.
Elena, the eldest of the siblings, was a Home Economics teacher when she began doing the delicacy, teaching food technology and culinary at Central School in Guagua, which is a short distance from their home. “I think she learned it from the recipes she read in the books since she was exposed to different types of cooking,” said Dang Litang, also a skilled cook.
Dang Litang’s sharp memory transports us back to a period when she and her sister would cook numerous pieces of these for any event in the family. “We will prepare this for every occasion, whether it be maleldo, birthday parties, or even All-Souls Day. So it was not just Christmas Day,” she went on to say.
According to Dang Litang, they have never prepared patcu with the intention of selling it. “Perhaps those relatives and friends who tried it began experimenting with it and saw the potential to sell. Maybe that is why there are so many families selling this today. But it’s all right,” she said.
Similar food prepared using the same recipe has long been a popular snack in Kerala, India’s southernmost state. Maddaku (madku) san is made from the same flour and milk mixed with water that are used to make crepes with grated coconut as filling. The bebinca originated in Kerala, with Portuguese influence.
For Dang Litang, patcu is not just an heirloom recipe in the family but a versatile food that can be easily made by anyone and enjoyed by everyone. It’s a dish that allows for creative interpretation, and she believes it is food for everyone.
Source:
Lagman-Calilung, Beng, Bruno. Interview. Conducted by Ruston Banal. 02, December, 2023
Yusi, Teresita. Interview. Conducted by Ruston Banal. 04, December, 2023
Gloria Chan-Yap, “Hokkien Chinese Borrowings in Tagalog” (Ph.D. dissertation, Ateneo de Manila, 1974
Ruston Banal, “Pupul: Grassroots Kapampangan Cooking”, Pampanga, 2021.
Damini Ralleigh, “Christmas Special: How Kerala’s beveca and the Goan bebinca are related”, url: https://indianexpress.com/.../christmas-special-how.../
John A Larkin, “The Pampangans: Colonial society in a Philippine province Paperback”, January 1, 1993
