Bicolanos are known for their umamilicious appetite. Their gastronomic cravings make them invent and innovate dishes out of the simplest ingredients. Simplest of the simplest that they can even think of preserving a favorite delicacy while preserving its original taste.
But have you ever heard of a Bicolano dish with a profound odor? Some Bicolanos have not known this exotic food yet. Well.. Here in Bicol we take pride in a dish that "Smells like hell but tastes like heaven..." DINAILAN.
Dinailan (pronounced as di/na/i/lan), a product from dried balaw (tiny shrimps), is famous for its pungent smell which immediately catches disproving judgments from people unfamiliar with it. But as one old saying goes: “Never judge a book by its cover,” once a delectable tongue savors this one of a kind dish, the appetite will surely crave for more.
Dinailan can be eaten with almost anything. Daetaños turn to this exotic viand to satisfy their hunger. It is ideal on top of hot steaming rice, or as sauce for unripe mangoes—perfect for rainy days. Hmmm.
This video blog features Dinailan as a part of the Bicolanos’ food menu. It also aims to endorse Dinailan not only to the Bicolanos, who have yet any knowledge of it, but also to the Filipinos and foreigners whose tongues crave for savory food.
