Banana Turon | Quan Delicacies

3 REASONS WHY I LOVE BANANA TURON

MEMORIES OF MY CHILDHOOD WITH BANANA TURON

 I was lucky to have a grandmother who loved to cook up a storm in the kitchen. I tasted all of her specialties and would proudly say that she would beat any established chef in any competition hands down. Maybe it’s the pride of a grandson talking, but for me, her cooking will always be unparalleled – even now that some members of the family can already cook up a storm, their cooking cannot compare. She somehow brought a certain flair, a certain flavor all of their own to each dish that they whipped up.

The summer days, I spent with my paternal grandmother are always memorable. Not only because I was her firstborn male grandson (from my Father) and was thus doted upon by everyone. But it was because I wouldn’t have a complete vacation without coming home to her and having one of her special banana turon that she plies once in a while in the local wet market.

I can tell you, my grandmother has a lot of secrets in the kitchen and it extended to her doing her chores to feed five kids on her own. She even foraged for all her bananas or had tribe members bring her native bananas from their plantations from time to time. It was from observing her afternoon ritual of foraging and bringing home bushels upon bushels of the bananas home did I learn about how to deal with life.

She knew when a banana isn’t quite ripe yet – she’d store them in the rice bin and the next day, they’ve miraculously ripened to perfection. She knew when a banana would be overripe so into the pot it goes – and it would always turn out perfect – with the right consistency and the right amount of flavor. I always wondered how she did it and marveled at her seeming wisdom and knowledge about how food and life interacted. She’d always say, patience is a virtue to be had but should there be a time that you need to act, you should never take two seconds about it.

Banana Turon | Quan Delicacies

I also saw how she interacted with some locals coming to her house to sell her bananas. She was a celebrity in her own right – with scores of locals coming to her to pay homage – as if selling to her was a rite of passage. She would always know each one by name or by face – and she treated them fairly albeit with a bit of her business edge showing. Everyone would leave her house with a smile on their faces as they knew they got a fair price for their harvest. And my grandmother would also smile, knowing that her produce was as fresh as can be and that her fare would be selling like hotcakes tomorrow as per usual.

Always in the mornings, I would be wakened by the smell of frying banana fritters, interspersed with the cooking of fried or scrambled eggs and fried fish or whatever the mongers would have brought early in the morning and I would know I am home. Seeing my grandmother tending to her wood-burning stove, kindling the fires, always drove home the serenity and simplicity of provincial life I have come to love.

After breakfast, I would help her prepare her wares – each banana getting the same attention as the rest – each getting its time to roll in the heavy and flavorful brown sugar that she has prepared before getting drenched in boiling oil till golden brown. Then it’s off to the wrappers before another dip in the scalding oil and then everything would be ready. And I would take her hand as I carried the big bilao perched on my head or straddled on my side and we would make the trip to the wet market where she would hold court – asking every customer, making small talk with the other vendors and generally enjoying herself. And I would be beside her trying to keep track of the change and making sure everything’s been accounted for and also finding that I enjoyed the hustle and bustle myself. And every day, even before her “sukis” get her wares, she’d pick one of the very best in the pile and we’d share it. Those were the days of yore – simple but still so fondly remembered many years hence. All because of banana turon, a loving relationship between grandson and grandmother got cemented to last an eternity.

Banana Turon | Quan Delicacies

3 REASONS WHY I LOVE BANANA TURON

My Grandmother is no longer around but each time I see Banana Turon I would always reminisce about those beautiful days I had with my Grandma.

If people would ask why I love this Filipino snack, I always have 3 reasons to tell why.

First, it reminds me of my loving Grandmother. It uses locally sourced ingredients which are very abundant in our place. We are sure therefore that any Banana Turon is simply fresh and free of any preservatives.

Second, I love the crunchy texture of the wrapper which gives a great contrast to the moist and sweet flavor of the banana inside.

Third, I just love it! Sometimes we don’t need to find more logical reasons why we love certain things. In the case of Banana Turon, it is just perfect for my palate.

WHERE TO FIND BANAN TURON IN BACOLOD CITY

To be sure that you are eating well prepared and clean native delicacies, you just simply go to Bacolod City’s one and only store known for any original Filipino Delicacies – QUAN.

Quan Delicacies can now be found on the following outlets:

Bacolod Branches
Quan MC Metroplex – Northdrive – (34) 433-9987
Quan La Salle Avenue (034) 707-1982
Quan Gaisano City (034) 707-8440
Quan Phoenix Gas Station, San Sebastian
Quan Robinsons Supermarket (034) 476-1518
Quan SM Food Court – 213-9149
Quan San Juan – (034) 704-1253

Talisay Branch
Quan Super Metro, The District North Point (034) 702-3466

Manila Branch
1797 Dian St, Palanan. Makati (02) 833-5843

Banana Turon | Quan Delicacies

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