Puso

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Puso (hanging rice) is a dish originating from the province of Cebu in the Philippines, a local form of the Ketupat found in other parts of the Malay world. It consists of rice wrapped in coco leaves which is then boiled. It is served by slicing the coco leaves in half exposing the rice.

Local stories passed down through the generations have attributed the creation of this style of rice preparation to the Cebuano seafarers' need to keep cooked rice from spoiling during long sea voyages. The coco leaves used in wrapping the rice are always shaped into a triangular form and stored hanging in bunches in the open air. The shape of the package facilitates moisture to drip away from the cooked rice while the coco leaves allow the rice to be aerated and at the same time prevent flies and insects from touching it.

"Puso" has continued to be popular in the Philippines due to the large number of open-air eateries serving grilled chicken and pork meals. Customers of these establishments often worry about the cleanliness of the food being prepared hence the popularity of "puso" where the rice remains untouched by human hands after being cooked.

[edit] Puso weaving

Puso weaving, the weaving of the wrapper of puso, is an ancient Cebuano art. The more popular shapes are binaki (using double strips), binaba (in the shape of a mouth), and kinasing (in the shape of a heart), but there were also other varieties now forgotten, named after their shape. Some of these were the following: