MOVES to institutionalize the “Mangan Taku!” Cordillera food fair have been made at the City Council.
Councilor Lilia Fariñas said the “Mangan Taku” Food Festival aims to put Cordilleran cuisine into the spotlight in order to boost culinary tourism in the region.
She said culinaryhas evolved as a vital component of tourism and in the overall tourism experience of local and foreign visitors.
The week-long festival features cuisine and heirloom dishes from Abra, Apayao, Benguet, Ifugao, Kalinga and the Mountain Province, including preparation techniques by accomplished chefs from the respective provinces, where sampling of the authentic dishes by the public may be done after cooking demonstrations.”
The food festival is an initiative of the Department of Tourism (DOT)–Cordillera, in partnership with the Tourism Promotions Board, and supported by the Department of Agriculture and the City Government of Baguio. Officials are thinking of holding it every second week of April every year, as part of the Summer Vacation in Baguio activities.
Under the proposal by Farinas, a committee led by the DOT as lead agency will work with the Office of the City Mayor and the Tourism Promotions Board.
The committee will be in-charge of convening and planning for the event, scheduling the programs and facilitating the members of the committee as to their duties, formulating the rules and regulations in the conduct of food preparation for the delegates from the different participating provinces, cleanliness and maintenance of security and order, drafting of working plans for the putting up of stalls to house participants, and other beautification and landscaping ornaments and delegation of security personnel to patrol the area.
“Mangan taku” means “let us eat” in the Tuwali and Kankana-ey languages, reflecting the natives’ hospitality.
The DOT said the festival puts emphasis on indigenous heritage food and promotes the program for Cordillera which bears the tagline “Find yourself in the Cordilleras.”
The weeklong festival showcased the classic pinikpikan and pinuneg but also included fusion foods from local chefs that mixed traditional cooking with modern ingredients and techniques.
Organizers invited chefs from all over Cordillera to showcase their modern take on the original recipes. (With a report from Jayvi Cris Jeremiah Pugong/UP Baguio intern)