Dumangas okoy anyone?

Categories Food
okoy up close
Okoy up close

It was a hot and humid March afternoon, tired from the heat after photographing the church of Dumangas and a few minutes spent at its cemetery that still contains structures built in the Spanish era. I was already at the town’s terminal, waiting for the jeepney to take me back to Iloilo City when I spotted this lady with her plastic basket filled with something yellow.

As with anything whenver I travel, I got curious and went closer. She was selling okoy, but it’s not the usual okoy that is supposed to be more small shrimps bound with batter and fried into a pancake like form. Instead, her’s is sweet potato (camote) fritters with pieces of small shrimps. Well, her’s might be Dumangas version, I really don’t know but for just P5, it was a steal.

I bought one, just enough to taste it, sans vinegar. The camote fritters were crunchy with some parts soft. A little salty and the taste of shrimp almost nil unless you munched on the portions with the small crustaceans on it. but it was just okay, good for a snack that sated my curiosity.

The vendor's basket filled with okoy and a bottle of langgaw, or vinegar
The vendor’s basket filled with okoy and a bottle of langgaw, or vinegar
I'm a Travel and Architecture photographer, blogger and writer based in Cebu, the Philippines.

A true blue Cebuano, I make stunning images and meaningful stories. My work has been published in various coffee table books as well as local and international publications including Geo (Germany), Sunday Times Magazine (London), done photo assignments for Mabuhay and written posts in Smile.

My personal Photography work has been exhibited around Asia and Europe including Paris in France, Germany, The Netherlands, South Korea, China and around the ASEAN regional capitals.

I am a peripatetic traveler and have been to all 81 Philippine provinces and abroad.

Check out my portfolio site at StanCabigas.

1 thought on “Dumangas okoy anyone?

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.