Lechon, mangoes, bananas in 1981papal menu

WHAT did Pope John Paul II ate when he visited Cebu in 1981?

An old article under the care of local heritage advocates showed that the papal menu in Cebu was a fusion of native and European dishes.

Its author, Conception Briones, said Sr. Senena Samson, the chief cook, wanted to serve most of Cebu’s bounty from the sea and farms.

For John Paul II’s first meal on Feb. 19, 1981, the nuns of St. Paul de Chartres prepared Aperitifs of Campari (a bitter Italian beverage served before a meal); martini (a cocktail made with gin and vermouth, and garnished with an olive or a lemon twist); beer; soda; softdrinks; fruit punches; assorted nuts; olives; pickles, canapes (a small piece of bread spread with a savoury topping); pizza; cold cuts (pre-cooked or cured meat, often sausages or meat loaf); and cheese cubes.
For lunch, the pope was served boiled lobster and prawns with mayonnaise served with white wine; lettuce and parsley; medallion Bordelaise (a French dish that pairs meat with red wine); Cebu’s famous ‘inasal’ or a roasted whole meat of pig.

Abundance

The nuns also gave John Paul II insalata mista (mixed vegetable salad); beans; sugar beets; tomatoes and asparagus.

Dessert was ‘mango a la mode’ with fresh mangoes from barangay Guadalupe in Cebu City. Coffee and tea were also served.

For dinner, John Paul II was given egg soup; baked Lapu-Lapu with black olives and celery served with white wine; scalopina a la marsala (sauteed veal scallops with masala sauce); mashed potatoes served with red wine; buttered carrots, and an abudance of fresh Philippine fruits like bananas, mangoes, papayas, and chicos.

The following day, Feb. 20, before heading for Davao, the pontiff had fresh fruits, scrambled eggs, a variety of cheese and breads, orange juice, marmalade; butter and jam for breakfast.

According to Briones, 11 nuns of St. Paul de Chartres were assigned to cook for John Paul II and his party.

Longest visit

Aside from the 11, seven nuns of the Sisters of Charity based in Cebu City and two other nuns serving then Cebu Archbishop Julio Cardinal Rosales, stood by for reinforcement.

During his visit to Cebu on Feb. 19 and 20, 1981, John Paul II presided over an open air Mass at the former Lahug airport (now known as the I.T. Park), spoke to the clergy and the faithful, and spent the night at the Archbishop’s Residence along D. Jakosalem Street in Cebu City.

Briones said white and yellow flaglets and flowers were placed on the plaza in front of the Spanish-type residence.

She said the Archbishop’s Residence and its chapel were decorated with orchids.

“The approximately 20-hour visit in Cebu was probably the longest for a papal visit in this historic city of Legazpi,” said Briones whose account of the pope’s visit in 1981 is kept along with several other news clippings at the Cebu Cathedral Musuem.