BACOLOD, Philippines – The buriring (puffer fish) has made a return to the shores of Cadiz City in Negros Occidental, marking a timely occurrence as the city marked its 57th charter anniversary.
For many Cadizeños, the buriring is seen as a stroke of good fortune, the city’s mayor, Salvador Escalante Jr., told Rappler on Monday, July 8.
The buriring belong to a potentially deadly species that includes the butete (tetraodon lineatus), but they detoxify themselves from July to September, making them safe to cook and eat during that period, according to Cadiz agriculturist Enrique Escares III.
Found primarily in the Visayan Sea, burirings are commonly seen in Cadiz, as well as in parts of Cebu and Bohol.
“Whenever these fish appear in Cadiz, it heralds something positive for our city,” Escalante said.
Cadiz, also known as Negros Island’s “City of Whales,” has flourished into a second-class component city of Negros Occidental, with a population of 158,544, based on the 2020 Census of the Philippine Statistics Authority (PSA). The city joined the so-called “Billionaires Club” of Western Visayas due to its annual national tax allocation (NTA).
Escalante said many superstitious Cadizeños attributed the economic boom to the “good fortune” brought about by the beaching of a dozen sperm whales on Cadiz shorelines on May 7, 1967.
“But whenever burirings appear in Cadiz at the start of July, it also usually heralds good tidings for our city,” said Escalante of the species that are also seen in Cadiz as “tiny sperm whales.”
He said burirings do not surface every year in Cadiz, and their absence was why the city’s 2014 Buriring Festival was not repeated.
The burirings have somehow placed Cadiz on the international gastronomic map, according to Julie Grace Dominguez, Cadiz’s tourism officer.
“It has captured the interest of our gastronomic enthusiasts,” Dominguez said.
Now a part of the local food heritage, burirings are best prepared with butter or margarine, libas leaves (Spondias pinnata), and sliced santol (Sandoricum koetjape), creating a dish known as pina-asluman nga buriring (soured buriring). They can be fried, too, to make chicharon or crispy fried buriring.
“Some say eating burirings is risky and could stop your heart, but that’s not true,” said Escares.
Escares explained that although considered “cousins,” burirings are different from butetes (arothron nigropunctatus). They have rough body surface, which requires cleaning with salt before cooking.
International chef Antonio Escalante, founder of the Antonio’s Group of Restaurants, said burirings shaped his culinary journey before achieving international recognition.
The Filipino chef used the buriring as his test case in the kitchen during his teenage years in Cadiz.
Fast forward to 2014, Escalante was named Restaurateur of the Year at the World Gourmet Summit in Singapore for creating high-quality and savory menus. A year later, Antonio’s group was included in San Pellegrino Asia’s Best 50 Restaurants.
“Cadiz is a part of my growing up, and buriring was part of my kitchen learning experience,” he said.
On July 4, he and nine others were recognized as one of the outstanding Cadizeños.
Along with Antonio, the awardees included violinist Gilopez Kabayao, book author Thea Guanzon, taekwondo athlete Dex Ian Chavez, and philanthropist Virma Gay Symons.
The 95-year-old Kabayao, known for performing at Carnegie Hall and bringing music to remote areas, was recognized for his contributions to culture and arts.
Guanzon, author of best-selling books, advocated support for the arts in Cadiz; Chavez is a taekwondo medalist; and Symons was recognized for her philanthropic work in Australia.
Also honored were pharmacy mogul and philanthropist Ian Manuel Lo for corporate excellence, Girl Scout of the Philippines-Cadiz Chapter for public service, Mary Jean Tanaya for environmental achievement, Zanex Onatin for visual arts, and Architect Rolem Basiya for academic excellence. – Rappler.com
