By Pamela Mariz Geminiano/PNA
BAGUIO CITY — Gourmets and other food connoisseurs will have a chance to try out Philippine highland delicacies at the “Mangan Taku: Cordillera Food Fair to be held April 8 to 14 in this city, also known as the “summer capital” of the country.
“The Cordilleran traditional cuisine is passed down from one generation to the next which operates an expression to our cultural identity. It is also our way of preserving the indigenous culture,” said Department of Tourism-Cordillera officer-in-charge Jovita Ganongan in an interview on Saturday.
“We will be bringing in indigenous cuisines from the whole region to Baguio for the locals and tourists to experience a different kind of gastronomic indulgence here in the city of Pines,” she said.
She said that it is important to remember that dishes from the different provinces in the region have a special place in the culture to which it belongs, and is special to those who prepare it.
“We should embrace our heritage through food. It is a portal into our culture and it should be treated as such,” she said.
The event was aptly timed to take advantage of the hundreds of thousands of tourists who visit Baguio during the sweltering summer months.
Philippine Statistics Authority (PSA) record shows that this mountain resort city received a total of 1.5 million tourists in 2017, or 77 percent of the region’s total tourist arrivals of 1.96 million living up with its tag as one of the leading tourist destinations.
“Baguio will serve as the host of the Cordillera food fair considering that it is the most visited tourist destination in the region,” she said.
Ganongan said that apart from promoting the food culture of the Cordillera, the food fair also aims to showcase the cooking talents of Indigenous Peoples or IPs.
