Matobato village in Calbayog City, Samar has been the leading producer of smoked fish, or tinapa, for 40 years.There, tinapa aficionados will never miss out on one particular store: Pingping's
Pingping's Tinapa, established in 1983 by Guadalupe "Pingping" De Guzman, is the town's oldest tinapa business. Following her death in 2015, it was taken over by her 52-year-old daughter, Guada De Guzman-Abrera.
Abrera transformed the company, which was called after her mother's nickname, into a one-stop pasalubong store on June 28, 2016, renaming it "Pingping's Tinapa and Pasalubong Center."
What makes Pingping’s unique?
Selling only freshly made tinapa is what Pingping's is renowned for. The fish is also given a deeper color and flavor by using wood shavings rather than wood chunks while smoking it.
Typically, the tinapa process begins at three in the morning. when fishermen head out to sea to begin their catch. A few hours later, Pingping's receives styrofoam crates full of fresh fish that need to be sorted.
After the fish is thoroughly cleaned, workers delicately remove the entrails while being cautious not to damage the stomachs.
The fish are cleaned, boiled in salted water, dried, and put on a kaping, a wooden tray, to begin the 30- to 45-minute smoking process.
Because Pingping's doesn't use preservatives, they turn down offers to export their tinapa to protect the product's quality.
Notably, Pingping’s use hasa-hasa, buraw or mackerel instead of bangus in their tinapas.
For hasa-hasa, tinapa costs PHP 100 each pack, but for buraw, it costs PHP 50 per pack. Vacuum-packed products are more expensive, as they should last for as long as three months.
A can’t-miss pasalubong shop
Visitors to the city typically stop by Matobato village to purchase packs of tinapa for “pasalubong”, the Filipino custom of travelers bringing gifts from their journey to folks back home.
Pingping's is so well-known that the Calbayog local government erected an official "Tinapa Producers" sign directly in front of the store, situated along Roño Street in Barangay Matobato.
Tourists can also purchase upscale goods like gourmet tinapa, prepared and wrapped like Spanish sardines.
Additionally, Pingping's sells a variety of beloved Samar items, like tahong crackers, corioso biscuits, honey from the area, and other dried foods and fish.
For most travelers, Matobato town is where the tastiest tinapa is found in the entire province of Samar.
