CORDILLERA food and products will be highlighted at the SMX Convention Centre Manila on August 9.
The forum “Food and Tourism for Mountain Development” is a project developed by the Mountain Partnership, Slow Food and the Department of Tourism in the Philippines to help identify high-quality products in the highlands.
Products to be featured and launched are the Itogon Arabica Coffee Mountain Product and the Ulikan Red Rice Mountain Product of the Rice growers and Lam-en Gonnay of Rice Terraces Farmers Co-operative Kalinga.
Both products are aimed to be enlisted in a labelling scheme for mountain products, train small-scale producers in agro-ecological and Slow Food practices, and support them to market their products, by connecting them to tourism service providers, chefs and specialized food businesses and outlets across the country.
A presentation of the Heirloom Recipes of the Cordillera by Jill Carino will also highlight of the event, the book is a collection of 100 traditi0nal recipes compiled by the by the Philippine Task Force for Indigenous Peoples Rights (TFIP) and the Partners for Indigenous Knowledge Philippines (PIKP).
Carnio said “From our point of view, awareness of the food traditions of the Cordillera people is slowly growing. What was once invisible and undervalued is now getting recognized as a valuable heritage of the Cordillera indigenous peoples. With events such as this World Food Expo, Cordillera indigenous food and heirloom recipes can be introduced to and appreciated by a wider audience, including chefs, foodies, restaurateurs, and others. But what is most important is for us to document these simple recipes, cook the food using natural ingredients, and transmit this knowledge of our indigenous food culture to the younger generation so that it will not be lost. This is just as important as defending our ancestral land and resources for the sake of future generations.”
Talks on the “Potential of Sustainable Food and Tourism in the Cordillera as well as food tastings by the Itogon Arabica coffee; Ulikan red rice and Cordillera heritage gastronomy prepared by Chef Charlynne and Laarni Andam of Green Pepper and the University of the Cordilleras with Roberto Kalugdan of of Ibulao-Ibulao B&B, Kiangan, Ifugao will be presented.