A three-day gathering of food entrepreneurs and foodies at the Madrid Fusion 2017 was held at the SMX Convention Center in Pasay City last April 6-8, 2017. The venue was like a hive, buzzing with activities, enthusiastic exhibitors and visitors.
Suman ng Clarin was one of the featured food item at the Madrid Fusion 2017. It is part of the Region 10 contingent from Clarin, Misamis Occidental. 17 flavors of this famous rice cake were displayed for tasting and were sold during the event. ASEC Fredrick Alegre, along with some visitors, were wowed with the variety of flavors that Clarin was able to showcase during Madrid Fusion, knowing that this is the first time that the said municipality has joined in this kind of event.
Suman ng Clarin flavors
Mango. Sticky rice with ripe mango slices, cooked in coconut milk and sugar.
Pinya. Sticky rice with ripe pineapple slices, cooked in coconut milk and sugar.
Durian. Sticky rice with durian slivers, cooked in coconut milk and sugar. The durian’s strong scent is not present, making this a delightful way of enjoying the fruit.
Tsokalate. Sticky rice with tablea made into a spread, cooked with coconut milk and sugar; making this rich in local flavors.
Tsokolate with Mani. Similar to tsokolate with added with peanut flavor coming from processed peanut spread. Also cooked in coconut milk and sugar.
Moron. A classic suman in the Visayan region.
Balintawak. Created in honor of a place where it was made, this sticky rice goodness is with coconut meat made sweet by cooked coconut milk/oil (latik).
Classic. This is your standard sticky rice, wrapped in leaves and cooked using coconut milk and sugar.
Carrot. With shredded carrots made into a slightly sweet paste, this is mixed into the sticky rice and then wrapped in leaves before being cooked in coconut milk and sugar.
Ube. Another root crop common in the area, the purple yam is made into a semi-sweet paste that is mixed with the sticky rice before being wrapped in leaves. Cooked with coconut milk and sugar.
Keso/Queso. Slices of cheese are added into the sticky rice mix and then cooked with coconut milk and sugar. The cheese melts into the sticky rice making it more creamier in each bite.
Choco Moron. The classic suman of the Visayas region with chocolate jam added into it. Cooked in coconut milk and sugar mixture.
Buko. Sticky rice with strings of young coconut meat added into the mixture. It is also cooked with coconut milk and sugar, making it slightly sweet and delicate.
Peanut. This is your locally processed peanuts, finely grounded and made into a near paste in texture then added into the sticky rice mixture before being wrapped in fresh banana leaves. Cooked with coconut milk and sugar, this suman creation is both delicate and with a crunch.
Latik. The sweetened form of the coconut milk, cooked till dark in color and then added into the sticky rice mixture before being cooked in coconut milk and sugar.
Adlai. Two types of rice mixture was used in this suman. One is your standard sticky rice and another is one that is high in fiber. This suman creation can be considered healthy because of the high fiber content that helps in the digestion of food.
Langka/Nangka. Slivers of ripe langka (visayan: nangka), is place into the sticky rice and then wrapped in fresh banana leaves before being cook in their standard coconut milk-sugar mixture.
People can’t have enough of this sticky rice mixture that some came back to buy more. With so many flavors to choose from, you just want to taste each flavor. Surprisingly, the flavors did not alter the identity of the sticky rice but enhanced it. Such were the feedback given especially during the 3rd-day Regional Lunch, which was attended by all the delegates present in the event.