Cordillera food fair opens in Burnham Park
BAGUIO CITY — The 7th “Mangan Taku” (Let’s Eat) Cordillera Food Fair opened Thursday at the Rose Garden of Burnham Park, featuring indigenous dishes and traditional food practices from across the region.
Visitors flocked to stalls serving Cordilleran staples, with etag (salted and smoked pork) among the top draws. The meat is preserved through curing or prolonged smoking, locally known as kiniing or kinuday, allowing it to last for months.
Also featured is pinikpikan, a chicken dish popular in Benguet and Mountain Province, prepared through a traditional process to enhance flavor. In Ifugao, a variation called inlagim involves singeing the chicken for a smoky broth. Both are commonly served with etag.
Traditional sausages are also highlighted, including pinuneg of Benguet and Mountain Province, made from pig’s blood and spices. Featured alongside it is Ifugao’s pinunnog, a smoked meat sausage distinct from pinuneg.
From Kalinga, binungor (or finungol), a spicy mix of beans, snails, banana blossom, bamboo shoots, and meat, drew attention, along with inandila (or inanchila), a sweet sticky rice dish.
Apayao’s pinaltit, a chili-based dip mixed with coconut and citrus leaves, and native coffee varieties are also featured.
A participating booth from Abra featured sautéed abuos (red ant eggs).
Some exhibitors also diaplayed modern takes on traditional food like the kiniing ice cream, tapuy (rice wine) ice cream and littuko (rattan fruit) ice cream among others.
The fair, led by the Department of Tourism – Cordillera Administrative Region, runs until April 27 and gathers more than 40 exhibitors from the Cordillera provinces, with participants from the Ilocos and Cagayan Valley regions joining for the first time.
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Organizers said the event promotes indigenous food systems and supports local producers. First launched in 2019, Mangan Taku was institutionalized through a city ordinance signed by Benjamin B. Magalong and aligns with the observance of Filipino Food Month.
This year’s theme, “Preserving Traditions, Sustaining Flavors,” highlights traditional preservation methods such as fermentation, smoking, and curing.
The five-day event includes cookfest competitions, cultural performances, food demonstrations, and an interactive food crawl encouraging visitors to explore participating booths. /das
