Spicing Up the Ordinary, Boyong's Special Bagoong

A few weeks back I won a contest on the Boyong's Special Bagoong page on Facebook for one bottle of Boyong's Special Bagoong. Early this week I got my prize. Let's see how this goes.

Bagoong is a popular Filipino condiment that is made from fermented fish or shrimp and salt. Normally used as a condiment, it could be by itself an appetizer or as seasoning in cooking. Boyong's version of this venerable paste is prepared from shrimp fry (uyap) and cooked in vinegar, garlic, onion, pork and other spices and then bottled.

Simple yet classy packaging

My first reaction after seeing the product from all angles is that the packaging is well produced. The design although simple is easily identifiable with the product that what I'm buying is shrimp paste and that it is the hot and spicy variety. It is easy to see that much thought was given to make Boyong's packaging classy. This makes it an excellent gift or pasalubong suggestion.

Boyong's Special Bagoong comes ready to serve as a condiment or to be used in cooking as a flavor enhancer. I decided to try it as a condiment and side dish to our dinner the day I received my own bottle of Boyong's.

It was spicy. Perspiration readily flowed from my temples while I was eating, which only served to enhance my dining experience. It was spicy enough that it did not overpower the other flavors in the paste. I could detect the other flavors but the saltiness threatened to overwhelm it. This was what my father immediately commented after a testing a dollop of the paste. It was tasty but it was too salty. Still, it did not deter him from getting another helping and more after his initial taste. It means that because of the intensity of flavors, a bottle of Boyong's could go a long way.

Greens cooked with Boyong's bagoong

The morning after, my mother cooked some camote greens with some Boyong's. It made the dish a little too spicy for the morning. Spicy Boyong's works better as a condiment or dip but using it as a cooking seasoning you risk losing control of the spiciness of your dish.

I heartily recommend Boyong's Special Bagoong as an excellent dip for your green mangoes and steamed bananas. I have not tried yet the original flavor but I enjoyed their hot and spicy variant since I usually like a little heat in my food. It also makes an excellent gift or pasalubong, especially since it says "Product of Cagayan de Oro" on a really nice and classy packaging.

If you are interested in getting one to try or to gift, I'm posting Boyong's contact details at the bottom of this post. Remember that if you are planning to bring this on a plane, this has to be checked in with your luggage and packed well since it is made of breakable glass and the paste is a natural corrosive since it was cooked with salt and vinegar.

Go check Boyong's webpage where they post some recipes and serving suggestions for their bagoong. They also hold regular contests on Facebook.Who knows, soon you maybe trying one of their recipes with bagoong you won from posting a comment on their page. It could happen.

Website: http://www.boyongs.com/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/BoyongSpecialBagoong
Mobile: 09228970251