Landang: A kitchen staple for 4 centuries

As the soulful observance of the Holy Week unfolds, Cebuano households are filled with the comforting aroma of root crops simmering in coconut milk and a unique ingredient deeply rooted in the pre-colonial heritage of the Visayan people, called “landang."

- Jonnavie Villa, Staff Member

The Bisaya tapioca, laboriously extracted from the Buri palm tree locally known as “buli” often referred to as the Visayan version of tapioca, have remained unchanged for almost four centuries.

Boboi Costas, a sustainable tourism consultant and cultural worker, believes this Lenten tradition is deeply rooted in pre-colonial and early colonial practices.

Costas shared that in 2010, he discovered a community in Aloguinsan still practicing the almost 400-year-old method of landang production.

“It’s the exact process described in the 1668 book by Spanish Jesuit missionary Francisco Ignacio Alcina,” said Costas.

Referencing the book of Alcina named, Historia de las Islas e Indios de Bisayas or the History of the Bisayan Islands and People, the traditional method involves harvesting the inner trunk of the Buri palm.

He enlightened that even the bisaya terms were stipulated in Alcina's book.

One of the most interesting insights Costas shared was the origin of the word *binignit*.

He explained that it comes from the root word “bignit”, which means “to chop” or “to slice.”

This reflects how the ingredients such as bananas, gabi or Taro in English, sweet potatoes, especially the buri tree’s flesh are typically prepared by slicing them into small pieces before being added to the dish.