“Palagsing” is a brown, sticky suman, made of sago starch (Unaw), young coconut meat and sugar. It is one of the delicacies of Butuan City , which is popularly made in Banza, one of the oldest poblacion of Butuan City , and home to many pure Butuanons. It will take about ten to fifteen minutes of riding a tricycle in order to reach Banza.
Palagsing is usually served on the city's foundation day and on other occasions among Butuanons and as well as non Butuanons. It is a highly perishable dish and has an estimated shelf-life of about 24 hours. However, its shelf-life can be extended by freezing and reheating before serving.
The making of this delicious “Palagsing” is attributed from the abundance of Sago Palm specifically the Metroxylon sagu, Rottb. This kind of Sago Palm can be found wild in marshy areas in the southern part of the Philippines . It is abundant along the coastal areas in the Visayas and in most parts of Mindanao . ( Flores , 2009). It grows to about 30 feet high and 2 to 3 feet wide in diameter. It matures in 12-15 years. It grows best in clay soils with high organic-matter content but can also grow on dry soils as well. In barangay Banza, the Sago Palm which is used to make Unaw is popularly know as Lumbia.
Together with our team mates, our coach and our moderator we were able to witness the indigenous way of preparing the Unaw and Palagsing among the experts of Butuanon.
The team was able to find and meet an expert in palagsing-making; who is a local Butuanon resident of Banza - Manang Mythol Ugaldi. It was through her help that we learned how to make palagsing and why it should be preserved as our homeland's delicacy.
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