Memories of Tablea (Pinoy Tsokolate)

July 13, 2011 By 4 Comments

When was the last time you had a bowl of champorado or a cup of authentic Pinoy choco drink?

These two sweet treats will never be as they are without the bittersweet tablea or cocoa tablet.

Coincidentally, I wrote about tablea yesterday for another website our team manages and then I saw this entry on Yahoo! PH this morning (another one written yesterday). I just can’t get enough of this cocoa thing!

Champorado is a famous Pinoy food especially during rainy season or when the weather’s cold. With the union of steamed sticky rice and pungent flavor of tablea, can you feel that certain kind of comfort associated with your mom’s TLC? Awww.

I love it when my dad prepares champorado ’cause I know it’s always done with love. Naks. Kasi my mom makes the tablea that my dad’s using so mas special. ;)

This one reminds me of my grandma. She likes sipping tsokolate and I don’t mean that energy drink in green packaging or the imported hot cocoa. Tsokolateng Pinoy!

We have the batidor, the wooden tool used for mixing the cocoa tablet in hot water. Have you tried preparing a cup of hot cocoa drink? I grew up enjoying the best Pinoy dishes and beverages. And I say the experience was priceless.

Then I remember this local tablea maker in town. I visited FG Pure Chocolate house earlier near the Mataasnakahoy public market. Fortunately, the owner Felina Recinto-Gadil, was cutting the chocolate with their customize FG cutter.

FG Pure Chocolate is the only tablea maker in town. Tita Felina shared the production is not on a daily basis. They would make cocoa tablets if there are orders or they have to deliver to cafes and restaurants who get tableas from them.

The cocoas are from farm lands in Brgy. San Salvador or Brgy. Upa. Tita Felina belongs to the third generation of the Recintos who started making tableas here in Mataasnakahoy. It was her grandfather, Camilo Recinto, who started the tablea production.

The regular sized cocoa tablet (half the size of the tablets in the inserted picture) costs P4.00/piece while the special size is P6.00/piece.

I hope tableas won’t melt away from the history of Philippine cuisine.

P.S.
Thanks to Anna, Jojo, and Baby Kat for accommodating me. :)

Champorado Photo Credit: wokwithray.net

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  • Wilma Inciong Sarmiento

    I’ve lived in the US for over three decades but tablea used to be the common pasalubong from my parents, aunts & uncles that they’ve purchased from the sole tablea distributor in M-kahoy. I’ve been deprived of these tableas since my parents passed away and my aging Tios and Tias had succumb to aging and inevitable physical frailties. So therefore, my Champorado ingredient had to be modified to something my hands could get into in any local US grocery. I’ve tried using powdered Nestle and Ghiraldeli chocolate just to keep up with my children’s breakfast need to eat Champorado. To them it is a real treat! For some people I know, they take left over Champorado home because cooking it is farfetched. On ny next visit to M/kahoy I need to remind myself to get some tableas for my pantry.

    • http://facebook.com peter

      :)

    • http://www.wowbatangas.com Dyan Hernandez

      A customer who will return to the US ordered the tableas they were doing in FG yesterday. Bilin daw po ng mga kamag-anak. :)

  • http://www.crumbsnjellies.webs.com crumbs n jellies

    hello,
    We’re from Batangas also but we don’t know were to buy the best tablea in Batangas… Can you help us??

    Thanks alot

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