SARIAYA in Quezon is a place like no other. The only Mount Banahaw town with a sea coast, it is 126 kilometers southeast of Metro Manila via the Maharlika Highway, and 12 kilometers northwest of Lucena City, the provincial capital. Made up of 43 barangays, 6 poblacion and 37 rural, it has a population of 115,000 (Year 2002 estimate), mostly dependent on agriculture, aggregates, commerce, industry and tourism for a living. Fertile soil, bountiful shoreline (Tayabas Bay), inclement weather, lush vegetation over a sloping north to south topography…  Small wonder why more people live here than in any other town in the province, save for Lucena.

A living repository deeply rooted in tradition, culture and history, the community is a product of more than 407 years of heritage, made more distinct by the necessity of having to change locations four times through those centuries, into what is now recognizable and undeniably ‘SARIAYAHIN‘… The 1748 Saint Francis of Assisi Church, the 18th century Santo Cristo de Burgos, the “Museo ng Debosyon at Buhay“, the Devotional Park and the Residential Museum, Agawan Festival, Belen Festival, the Holy Wednesday street play “Santo Kristo: Isang Senakulo“, colorful Banahaw folklore, scenic Mamala with its invigorating cool climate, gently sloping coastline that is Quezon’s beach resort playground, graceful and opulent ancestral houses, characteristic lilting indigenously-vocabularied Tagalog,, “Puwersado sa Recado“ cuisine, exquisite desserts, pastries, baked goodies and the Pasalubong stores.

Mount   Banahaw
About ten kilometers north of Sariaya is this towering beautiful blue backdrop that shaped much of the town’s history and inherent culture. It is an important watershed area, home to inherent flora and fauna, and a sanctuary for migratory birds. With an elevation of 7,103 feet, it is popular among local and foreign mountaineers who are out to challenge its forbidding cliffs. Devotees visit it during the Lenten season believing it to be sacred, while many come to soak in its cool mystic confines, among clear rivers, lush vegetation and quiet isolation. Its springs give birth to Sariaya’s rivers, and one, once known as ‘Sadyaya’ is said to be where Sariaya was named from.
Tayabas   Bay

The Tayabas Bay shoreline gave Sariaya the distinction of being the only Mount Banahaw town, in both Laguna and Quezon, with a sea coast. The gently sloping  shoreline of brown- gray sand is very ideal for  picnics,  and thus explains the presence of many beach resorts, a few of which are accredited by the Department of Tourism,  that are favorite Lenten and hot season  retreats for locals and people from neighboring towns and provinces, even  those from Metro Manila.

“Tinapay  Sariaya”
If you hear somebody say that “the Pinag-ong is worth dying for“, he or she is definitely a Sariayahin! Who else in this world can lay claim to having been nurtured by that sweet bread that resembles a turtle shell, crispy on the outside down to the two small ‘ nipples ‘ at both ends, yet tasty and chewy on the inside, most especially if freshly baked from the oven? No wonder that you hear “Pinag-ong Sariaya“ from bus-hopping vendors who coax passengers to buy their freshly baked wares with “Mainit-init pa po!”. And as you settle on your seat, bored to death by the silly plot of the slapstick comedy or substandard action flick on video, chances are your eyes will rest upon a can or two of  “Broas“ or “Apaz“ bought from Sariaya’s various specialty bakeries. Despite dubious claims by other localities that they are its real innovators, where else can you have the original Broas or “Buruhas“ as it is known in “Sariayahin Tagalog“, the best of the so-called “Ladyfingers“ for “Crema de Fruta“ or simply a glass of ice cold Coke? Likewise, a steaming hot bowlful of native chicken “Arroz Caldo“ will not be that fulfilling without its perfect match, that oblong sugar-topped delicious crispness of “Apaz“ that they say melts in the mouth.

Sariaya has its local version of the rolls which is called “Pianono“, with a creamy potato-based filling cooked “Haleya“ style , and bought at five pieces per pack in some bakeries. “Ojaldres“ or “Buruhas Tayabas“ is a multi-layered local version of the “Otap“, delightfully fragile or “mayabo“ to the mouth due to shortening, with caramelized sweetness in between, due to the sugar that got caramelized in the baking process. Square-shaped, crispy “Kinalibkib“ on the other hand was steamed first prior to baking , thus its characteristic copra-like appearance. “Bunete“ , that oily, soft chewy bread  once baked with a crunchy base, is a fulfilling merienda fare that resembles a big half capsule. Crisp- baked munchies like button shaped “Paborita“ and square-shaped “Jacobina“ in various sizes are Sariaya’s  oven specialties as well.

A curious Sariayahin baked tradition that is only occasionally available is the bland-tasting yet crunchy “ Tinapay ni San Isidro “ or the “Pamahiyas“, done only for the San Isidro de Labrador Feast Day of May 15th. Available in various shapes as fish, eagle, gun, guitar, boxer and horse, they also come in different colors. They are traditionally tied and hung on “Aranyas“ or bamboo chandeliers, and  “Bagakays“, or young bamboo trees placed at the route of the saint’s afternoon procession, while the bigger “Pamahiyas“ versions are hung as eye-catching window decors. This, and other Sariayahin baked goodies like the sweet, saucer-shaped  and coconut-laden “Tortaryal“, white “Arnibal“-topped “Pederal“ with an hour-glass twist, hard cylindrical “Sinigarilyo“, cracked crisp-surfaced “Paputok“ and soft sweetish “Pandesillo“ are now much-missed baked specialties.


Pastries and Milk-Based Sweets
Sariaya is synonymous with rich pastries and milk-based sweets in various shapes and flavors that are favorite Pasalubong items for locals and visitors alike. “Kinakaw“ is a sinful, sugar syrup-coated pastry that can be  “worn like a ring“ on slender fingers…  it’s “ easily pulverized to-the-mouth “ characteristic courtesy of pork fat! “Mazapan de Buco“ is an equally sinful, milk-based sweet with coconut bits, that is baked to golden brown goodness prior to wrapping in colorful cellophane plastic.

“Pastillas“ are  hard cylindrical canned milk candies that come in various flavors like cheese, calamansi, langka, mocha, peanut and macapuno. A variation of this is the triangular “Yema“ that come in peanut and macapuno flavors. Soft cylindrical “ Pastillas “ on the other hand, come in root crop flavors as potato, camote and ube., which are rolled in white sugar granulkes prior to wrapping. Hard versions of these are used as “window curtains“ during the Agawan Festival! However, the true “Yema“ is milk-sugar-egg yolk balls dipped in caramelized white sugar that resemble dwarf sized derby hats. These milk-based sweets are favorite give-aways during wedding receptions in Sariaya, but they can likewise be bought from any of the many Pasalubong stores that dot the Sariaya – Candelaria stretch of the Maharlika Highway.

Tikoy and Tamales
“Tikoy“ is a heavy, rice-based specialty that is traditionally made in Sariayahin homes for Christmas, though it can be bought at the Pasalubong stores as well. It is made from grounded “malagkit“ or glutinous rice, combined with canned condensed milk, sugar, butter, cheese and egg yolks. The resulting mixture is then passed through a second grinding process to have that very fine textured characteristic before being placed in buttered pans prior to a long steaming process. The end result is a deliciously-rich brownish-yellow specialty that delightfully melts in the mouth. Since it hardens with storage, Tikoy can be fried in a low fire to regain its smooth chewy fine texture.

“Tamales“ is a delicious rice-based specialty done in a more painstaking manner because the rice is divided into two equal portions, one of which is pan roasted first before grinding to get two colors, white and brown. The process involves sauteing in garlic followed by combining the two ground rice types with color distinction, together with the meat, meat stock, pork fat and seasonings, before wrapping the mixture in square shapes with banana leaves tied with “buntal” fibers prior to steaming. Boiled egg slices and peanuts are likewise added, lending more flavor and taste to this very hearty merienda fare.

Be consumed by the wonderful variety of sights, sounds and tastes...
Discover Sariaya at its very best!