DOST enhances Nanay Tabing's famous local delicacies through S&T
SURIGAO CITY, Surigao del Norte -- Rainy season calls for some hot tsokolate paired with Nanay Tabing’s sayongsong and espasol.
The original maker of the famous Mainit’s sayongsong and espasol, Nanay Tabing’s Native Delicacies, was the first one to introduce these delicious and healthy kakanin to the municipality. Espasol is one of the famous Filipino delicacies made of glutinous rice roasted, pulverized, and cooked slowly in sweetened coconut milk into a soft and chewy consistency.
Sayongsong is a traditional steamed rice cake or kakanin from Surigao del Norte and other areas in Caraga Region, where it is also known as sarungsong or alisuso. It is distinctively served in a cone-shaped banana leaves and considered as a type of puto.
Nanay Tabing’s Native Delicacies is a single proprietorship owned and managed by Mr. and Mrs. Claro S. Beltran. They follow the recipe of their late Nanay Tabing in which the name of the firm was named after. Consequently, when the residents of Mainit hear the terms espasol and sayongsong, the first name that comes to their mind is "Nanay Tabing!"
To further improve the quality of their products and the firm’s overall operations, Nanay Tabing’s Native Delicacies opted to upgrade and modernize their machineries. Due to low capacity of existing equipment, the firm sought financial assistance from the Department of Science and Technology (DOST) for the procurement of appropriate technologies to be funded under the Small Enterprise Technology Upgrading Program (SETUP).
In year 2020, the DOST-Surigao del Norte was able to effectively provide science and technology solutions that reduced the manual effort and time required for the firm’s operations. Through DOST SETUP, the firm was able to enhance the quality and increase the output of their products at a cost-effective price, fulfilling the growing demand not only from local residents and tourists in Mainit, but also from clients in nearby towns and cities. Now, the firm has expanded their offerings to include other traditional treats such as pichi-pichi and banana chips.
DOST further provided support to the firm through technology trainings which resulted in improvements to both their product quality and production process.
The DOST is also inviting interested micro, small and medium entrepreneurs (MSMEs) in the province who want to enhance their operational efficiency and boost their productivity to avail of the DOST SETUP Program. (DOST-SDN/PIA-Surigao del Norte)
