Batchoy, alternatively spelled batsoy, is a Filipino noodle soup of pork offal, crushed pork cracklings, chicken stock, beef loin, and round noodles. The original and most popular variant, La Paz batchoy, traces its roots to the Iloilo City district of La Paz, in the Philippines.

Origin

The origin of the La Paz Batchoy is unclear with several accounts claiming credit for the dish:

Preparation

Ingredients of La Paz batchoy include pork offal (liver, spleen, kidneys and heart), crushed pork cracklings, beef loin, shrimp broth, and round egg noodles (miki) cooked with broth added to a bowl of noodles and topped with leeks, pork cracklings (chicharon), and sometimes a raw egg cracked on top.

Regional varieties

The province of Quezon has a variation of the batsoy Tagalog, also known as bombay or bumbay which derives its name from the similarity of the tied banana leaf pouch to the appearance of the turban worn by Sikhs. The dish consists of finely chopped and seasoned pork offal wrapped in banana leaf and then boiled in water. The dish is served with its cooking broth.

Batchoy Festival

The Batchoy Festival is an annual food festival held as part of the larger Dinagyang Festival in Iloilo City. First held in 2020, it features a friendly competition among aficionados and merchants to determine who offers the best-tasting batchoy. The event is a collaboration between SM City Iloilo and the Department of Tourism (DOT), and it is held and celebrated alongside the Grand Iloilo Food Festival at SM City Iloilo Southpoint every January.