PORAC -- Whoever said the "old way" of cooking is no longer in use?

Cooks and chefs can actually learn from residents of this town. Instead of using pots and pans in cooking their food, they used bamboo.

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On Monday, townsfolk line up "bulu," a variety of bamboo, in front of the municipal hall in celebration of the "Binulu Festival," an event honoring the centuries old tradition of cooking food.

Mayor Roger Santos, who led the traditional cooking, said the event aims to promote the festival as a new tourism attraction in this town.

"We want our people to realize that aside from sand and lahar, our town can actually boast of festivities such as this. The Binulu symbolizes the desire to go back to the simplicities of life and to preserve what is culturally important," Santos said.

The Binulu way of cooking uses bulu, a slender variety of bamboo that grows within the mountain areas and tributaries of this town, cut by the nod with one end open.

Binulu is a term used by Poraquenos to refer to any foodstuff which is traditionally cooked and boiled with the use of the fresh, green and empty bulu (schizostachyum lumampao).

According to Ramil Lansangan, 76, in the olden days when potteries and modern utensils had not been introduced, this primitive way of cooking and food preparation was not only popular among Aetas but also among the first settlers of Porac.

"The traditional ingredients in making binulu are table salt, water, fish and camias to provide the good taste and aroma," Lansangan said.

The bulu are often used to cook husked palay grains, meat and in some cases the whole recipe for "sinigang na manok" and grilled in an open fire. This indigenous way of cooking traces its roots from the Aeta tribes that lived in the interiors of the Porac Mountain.

In 2005, the first Binulu Festival was launched through the initiative of Rev. Father Elmer Simbulan, the then parish priest of St. Catherine of Alexandria along with Adrino Garcia of Mekeni Foods Corporation.

"Porac town is not just a sleepy town under the mountains. The Binulu Festival exemplifies the vibrant culture that we have as a town and our fondness for cooking," Simbulan said.

Today, Binulu is one of the favorite carte du jour in this town. Sun.Star Pampanga found out that aside from the traditional recipe, the Binulu has evolved to include other recipes and dishes.

Others have tried to include meat like pork, chicken, monitor lizard, frog and seafood like shrimps and squids in their food preparation for Binulu.

Lansangan said unlike contemporary food preparations, the Binulu preserves the taste of the food and blends the food elements without the use of preservatives and additives.

Owing to the popularity of the Binulu here, Santos said they are now crafting plans to promote the Binulu to other towns and the whole province.

"We are not just a sand-rich town, we are also rich in our food traditions," Santos added as he treated Sun.Star Pampanga to taste a newly-cooked Binulu dish. (IOF)

For more Philippine news, visit Sun.Star Baguio.

(November 18, 2008 issue)
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