Banggéra

In Philippine architecture, the banggéra, also known as the bánggerahán, is a feature in a kitchen or dining room of a bahay kubo or bahay na bato, originating from a time when public drainage systems were still uncommon.

Basically a counter space made of slatted wood that protrudes from the kitchen or dining room to the back lawn, it would serve as the house's dish-washing space and air-drying rack for newly washed cookware, kitchen utensils, and tableware before these were stored in a sideboard (platera) or cupboard (pamingganan). Newly washed cups would typically be inverted on the ends of wooden sticks and the plates placed between or above the slats.

Because the banggéra is made of slatted wood, natural light readily creeps into the counter space to light one's use of the space.

The tapáyan

As the banggéra is an architectural feature from a time before the introduction of indoor plumbing, commonly associated with it is the tapáyan (also called bangâ), an earthenware jar that stores water and keeps it cool; this jar typically had its place on the far left or right of the slatted counter. Very often, a dipper would be found on top of a plate that would serve as the lid of the jar, and moss surrounding an old tapáyan would also often be left alone to contribute to the cooling of the jar's contents. Before the era of tap water, drinking water for storing in the tapáyan were sourced from either nearby wells or natural springs.

See also

• Dirty kitchen