BUTUAN : My Brand New Foodie Finds from The Ancient Kingdom

A week ago,

I spent a day in Butuan;

the historic city has a lot of ancient secrets:

as early as the 11th Century,

the people of Butuan were already trading with

the Kingdoms of Vietnam and Java,

and Butuan was considered as the

Center of Trade & Commerce of the Philippines.

There still is a heated debate regarding the

site of the first Holy Mass on Philippine soil:

Did Magellan and his friendly invaders

celebrate it on Limasawa, or in Butuan?

So much History to Discover,

but I had so little Time...

...I only had enough time

to discover and celebrate

the historic foodie finds of Butuan!

The #1 Pasalubong from The Ancient Kingdom:

The CRÈME de MENTHE BROWNIES of Butuan!!!



One must never leave Butuan without
tasting the scrumptious cakes and brownies

of MARGIE'S KITCHEN, renowned region-wide
for the very best Chocolate Treats in Mindanao.

Margie's lived up to the hype;
I was NOT disappointed.

These minty brownies were so moist and fudgy,

I just had to open the sealed box in my hotel room.

Needless to say, I couldn't stop at one.
This pasalubong never reached Manila!

The #2 Pasalubong from The Ancient Kingdom:

The PURPLE POTATO CHIPS of Butuan!!!


These taste like the best banana chips
you've ever had; and the sesame seeds add

a delightful savory flavor to these beautiful crisps
made of purple-hued sweet potato, a.k.a. kamote!

At only P30.00 per bag, these are excellent bargains,

another perfect take-home for the folks back in Manila,

but again, be warned: these are highly addictive;

handcarry these chips, & you might get off the plane empty-handed!