TACLOBAN CITY – The province of Samar will participate in this year’s celebration of Filipino Food Month dubbed as “Hapag ng Pamana” organized by the National Commission for Culture and the Arts together with the Department of Agriculture, Department of Tourism and the Philippine Culinary Heritage Movement.
Hapag ng Pamana aims to provide an avenue to celebrate the collaborative efforts of various stakeholders in preserving and promoting local cuisines.
This year’s celebration of Filipino Food Month is anchored on the theme “Pagkaing Sariling Atin, Mahalin, at Pagyamanin.”
The Secret Kitchens of Samar will take the center stage this April 23 to 27.
The Secret Kitchens of Samar is a campaign of the provincial government under the Spark Samar tourism program which features the province’s culinary heritage that is long-kept and treasured by families.
Among the culinary heritage of Samar are the ‘tamalos’ of Catbalogan, which is a variation of tamale, a dish of Mexican origin. Ingredients of this dish includes slabs of pork tender belly with rich peanut sauce, rice, wrapped in banana leaves and steamed for hours.
Also among the food that can only be found in Samar is the ‘borracho’, a sponge cake that is rum-soaked and fermented for five days to truly bring out its flavors; the queseo of Gandara – a cottage cheese made from carabao’s milk; ‘sisi’, a fermented shellfish that is good addition to salad or a viand enjoyed with a squeeze of calamansi.
Filipino Food Month is celebrated every April thru Presidential Decree No. 469 issued in 2018 to recognize and celebrate the rich and diverse culinary heritage of the Philippines.
(ROEL T. AMAZONA)
